Abstract

Background: The postpartum period causes some changes in sexual relations, which sometimes makes considerable disorders in married life. This Research has been done to identify the differences in sexual satisfaction in two different ways of delivery:  vaginal delivery and cesarean.

Methods: this Study is a cross - sectional study in which 300 women who had a history of delivery between 1 and 6 months of the study and had the inclusion criteria were selected .The questionnaire had two parts:  part one demographic data and Part II questions about sex while doing research and before delivery.  The validity of the questions was confirmed after being evaluated by 5 gynecologists and tested by 10 samples. To evaluate sexual problems, t test was used for quantitative variables and Fisher test and Chi square were used for qualitative variables. Data analysis was done with SPSS v 11/5.

Results: 155 mothers had vaginal delivery and 145 of them had cesarean section. Dyspareunia increased from 16.7 percent in the prenatal status to 43.3 percent, lack of sexual desire went from 2.3 percent to 35.7 and fail to orgasm after vaginal delivery rose from 2 percent to 21 percent. There was a significant relationship between sexual problems before and after vaginal delivery (p <0/001) and sexual problems in vaginal delivery and cesarean section were significantly different (P <0/039).

Conclusions: According to the study results the complications after vaginal delivery should be reduced with enhancing the quality of care during childbirth. As a result the desire of pregnant women to have cesarean section will increase.

Key words: sexual satisfaction, marital relations, vaginal delivery, cesarean section.