Função sexual e relação conjugal em mulheres no puerpério remoto

Abstract

The period after giving birth, also known as puerperium, is marked by a number of changes that may cause physical, emotional and social alterations, which can affect the woman‟s sexual need, their relationship with a partner and their mood. The objectives of this research were to check if a relation between sexual function and marital satisfaction existed, as well as to examine what other factors are related to sexual function and marital satisfaction. To achieve these objectives, 192 women on remote puerperium, aged from 18 to 43 years old responded to four evaluations: 1) Socioeconomic questionnaire; 2) Female Sexual Function Index; 3) Love Scale of Marriage and Relationship Questionnaire (MARQ); 4) Beck Depression Inventory. The results showed that 42.7% of the women presented values indicative of sexual dysfunction. The factors that contributed to the sexual dysfunction were breastfeeding and depressive symptoms. 70.4% of the participants were moderately satisfied with their relationship. Marital satisfaction was related with higher income and a higher level of education. A weak correlation was found between sexual function and marital satisfaction, indicating that the causes that contribute to the marital satisfaction may vary according with the stage of the relationship. When the couple has no child, the satisfaction is more focused in sexual pleasure, since reproduction is important to the perpetuation of the species. However, many studies have shown that after the birth of a child physiological changes occur, in both women and men, which causes sex to be less important and causes the couple to turn their attention to caring for their offspring.