Quality of sex life, sexual problems and marital intimacy among married women in an Islamic country

Introduction: Female sexual problems are more common especially among Muslim women,where complaining about sexual issue is not easy. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sexual problems among Iranian women, and investigate the factors associated with their sexual function, marital intimacy and quality of sex life Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a total sample of 490 married women aged 20–35 years who referred to the urban health centers in Tabriz, Iran. The data were collected using the self-administered Female Sexual Function Index, Sexual. Quality of Life-Female and Marital Intimacy were completed by the respondents Results: Considering the cut-off point of sexual dysfunction index, about 73.7% of the respondents were suffering from sexual problems. In addition, sexual problems, quality of sexlife and marital intimacy differed mostly by sex-related behaviors and the characteristics of female sexual dysfunction were related to the quality of sex life and marital intimacy (p < 0.001). Conclusion: High prevalence of sexual problems among Iranian women is an alarming issue that threatens their quality of sex life, marital intimacy and consequently, mental health. Our findings will help family health policy-makers to plan and implement sexual health promotion programs aiming at improving sexual life among couples

Keywords:

Quality of sex life , Sexual problems , Women