Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes: a prejudicial combination to female sexual function?

PURPOSE: To compare the sexual function of healthy adult pregnant women with that of gestational diabetes patients (GDM) in the third trimester. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled two groups of women managed antenatal care clinics. Inclusion criteria were: maternal age >= 20 years, gestational age at least 28 weeks, being in a heterosexual relationship with the same partner for at least 6 months, and being able to read. We excluded women with a medical recommendation for sexual abstinence due to clinical or obstetric disorders; hypertension controlled through medications; pregnancy resulting from rape; absent or sexually unavailable partner in the last month; hospital admission in the last month; use of vaginal creams in the last 30 days; multiple pregnancy, regular use of alcohol or illicit drugs or use of medications that can interfere with sexual function. Eighty-seven patients fulfilled the selection criteria and were included in the study. The Sexual Quotient-Feminine Version (QS-F) questionnaire was used to assess sexual function. Student's t and chi(2) tests were used to compare differences between groups and p<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The mean gestational age of the participants was 34 weeks. There were no significant differences in the mean QS-F scores between groups (62.5 healthy vs 62.8 GDM women, p=0.9). Approximately half the participants (47 and 47.5% of the healthy and GDM women, respectively, p=0.9) had total scores up to 60, indicative of dysfunction in one of the assessed domains (desire, sexual satisfaction, arousal, orgasm, dyspareunia and vaginismus). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was high among women in the third trimester of pregnancy and did not differ significantly between healthy women and women with GDM.