RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEXUAL HEALTH AND CONTRACEPTION METHODS IN WOMEN

Background and purpose: Sexual dysfunction caused by contraceptive methods threatens sexual health. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between sexual health and contraceptive methods in women attending health centers in Urmia Iran. Materials and methods: A descriptive- analytical study was conducted in 2014 in which 198 women were randomly recruited. Data was collected by a standard questionnaire consisting of three parts: socio-demographic characteristics Female Sexual Function INDEX (FSFI) and Index of Sexual Satisfaction (ISS). Data was then analyzed applying descriptive statistics t-tests one-way ANOVA and Pearsons correlation coefficient in SPSS V. 22. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 29.89 ± 7.01 years. The mean scores for sexual function and satisfaction were 20.99 ± 6.73and 35.93 ± 16.10 respectively. ANOVA analysis showed a significant relationship between sexual function and contraceptive methods. Also a significant association was found between contraceptive methods and sexual satisfaction (P= 0.00). The most common cause of sexual dysfunction and satisfaction was contraceptive injections while withdrawal method resulted in the lowest incidence of sexual dysfunction and satisfaction. Conclusion: In this study the most common contraceptive methods in women were withdrawal method and taking oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). The results showed that hormonal methods of contraception particularly contraceptive injections could negatively influence the womens sexual health. Therefore more training programs should be carried out in family planning counselors so that appropriate contraceptive methods are implemented while considering womens sexual satisfaction and function.