Turkish women's level of knowledge on and attitude toward sexual health

Sexuality is a basic human function that can affect general well-being and overall life quality. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge on and attitude toward sexuality of a subgroup of Turkish women.

A cross-sectional survey including 1007 women was carried out concurrently in gynecology and urology outpatient clinics of Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey, between January 2003 and December 2003. A self-created questionnaire for data collection was administered to the participants, which addressed questions concerning their sexual life, sexual problems and attitudes towards sexuality. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) was used for the data analysis of the study (SPSS ver. 11.0 Inc. Chicago, IL, USA).

The data included 1007 patients aged 14-77 (mean: 35.6 +/- 11.1). Among the women assessed, 90.2% were married, 79.8% were premenopausal and 77.1% were currently sexually active. 68.7% entered sexual intercourse 1-2 times per week, while 28.5% had an average of 3-4. 77.8% were aware of experiencing an orgasm and 74.7% had at least one orgasm. Only 21.4% of all women had an orgasm during each sexual intercourse. 2.2% of those who had never experienced an orgasm concurrently applied to a medical center. The average age of first intercourse was 21.3 +/- 4.1 years.

Because there is no national data on sexual health in Turkey, analysis and evaluation of the severity of the problem, and alternatives for international comparisons are not possible. In our opinion, this study presents a valuable perception into the current sexual behavior of Turkish women.