2020/12/10 by Mojdeh Banaei, Nourossadat Kariman, Giti Ozgoli +5 · 1 citation
Medicine · #Pelvic floor disorders treatments #Sexual function and dysfunction studies #Pregnancy-related medical research
paper · doi:10.1002/ijgo.13523
openalex publication_date 2020/12/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
BACKGROUND: Dyspareunia is one of the most common postpartum sexual dysfunctions. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia. SEARCH STRATEGY: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase databases were searched to July 2019 using keywords including 'perineal pain,' 'dyspareunia,' and 'sexual pain'. SELECTION CRITERIA: Observational studies on the prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: index; publication bias by Egger and Begg tests. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-two studies enrolling 11 457 women were included. Based on meta-analysis, the overall estimated prevalence of dyspareunia was 35% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29%-41%). The prevalence was 42% (95% CI, 26%-60%) at 2 months, 43% (95% CI, 36%-50%) at 2-6 months, and 22% (95% CI, 15%-29%) at 6-12 months postpartum. Begg test showed no significant bias in data related to the prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia (p = 0.466). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia was 35% and decreased with increasing postpartum duration. Given the high prevalence and its impact on a woman's quality of life, special attention should be paid to this common complaint during the postpartum period.