Cesarean section and postnatal sexual health.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Cesarean delivery avoids perineal trauma and has therefore often been assumed to protect sexual function after childbirth. We sought to examine this assumption by using data from a study of women's sexual health after childbirth to assess whether women who underwent cesarean section experienced better sexual health in the postnatal period than women with vaginal births.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional study was conducted of 796 primiparous women, employing data from obstetric records and a postal survey 6 months after delivery.

RESULTS:

Any protective effect of cesarean section on sexual function was limited to the early postnatal period (0-3 months), primarily to dyspareunia-related symptoms. At 6 months the differences in dyspareunia-related symptoms, sexual response-related symptoms, and postcoital problems were much reduced or reversed, and none reached statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS:

Outcomes from this study provide no basis for advocating cesarean section as a way to protect women's sexual function after childbirth.

• Authors: Geraldine Barrett, Janet Peacock, Christina R Victor, Isaac Manyonda
• Journal: Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) (Birth) Vol. 32 Issue 4 Pg. 306-11 (Dec 2005) ISSN: 0730-7659 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16336372 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Topics

• Adult
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Delivery, Obstetric
• Dyspareunia (epidemiology)
• Female
• Health Status
• Humans
• London (epidemiology)
• Postpartum Period
• Sexual Behavior
• Surveys and Questionnaires