Effect of a structured educational package on women's sexual function during pregnancy

To explore the effect of a structured educational package based on ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation) to reduce sexual dysfunction during pregnancy.

A randomized controlled trial study among pregnant women attending prenatal clinics in Tehran, Iran, from October 2017 to September 2018. The implementation group received the structured educational package; the control group received training on breastfeeding and normal delivery. The outcome measure was changes in total and domain scores of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire before and after the intervention; the groups were compared by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Overall, 70 women completed the study: 36 in the intervention group and 34 in the control group. Sexual desire (P=0.019), arousal (P=0.001), lubrication (P=0.001), orgasm (P=0.001), satisfaction (P=0.007), and total FSFI score (P<0.001) improved significantly in the intervention group as compared with the control group. However, there was no difference in sexual pain after the intervention (P=0.78).

The structured educational package was found to reduce sexual dysfunction by improving knowledge of and attitudes toward the physical and psychologic changes that occur during pregnancy among Iranian women attending routine prenatal care visits as part of a healthcare center's program. Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT20140907019077N14.