Effect of Treatment of Vaginal Infection on Quality of Sexual Life - A Study from Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND Several factors affect the quality of sexual life. Vaginitis may impair the quality of life and lowers the self-esteem of a woman by distorting the mental image of her body. So far, no study has been done on the effectiveness of vaginitis treatment on the quality of sexual life. Therefore, considering the importance of quality of sexual life in family relationships, the present study was designed and conducted to determine the effects of vulvovaginitis treatment on women's quality of sexual life. METHODS This experimental study was conducted on patients visiting Imam Sajjad Hospital in Shahriyar from 2017 to 2018. The Inclusion criteria in the study were as follows: having one of the vaginal infections, i.e., Candidiasis, Gardnerella, or mixed infection (both Candidiasis and Gardnerella) diagnosed by a specialist. The subjects filled in the quality of sexual life questionnaires before treatment and 2 months after the treatment. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 16 with paired t - test, univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), analysis of variance, and multiple regression test. The P - value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS In each of the three groups (candidiasis, Gardnerella, and mixed infection), the quality of sexual life differed before and after treatment, therefore the treatment improved the patients' quality of life significantly. Mean and standard deviation of the quality of sexual life in Candidiasis group before and after treatments were 68.97 +/- 19.59 and 75.82 +/- 8.46 respectively; in Gardnerella group: 69.28 +/- 19.04, 14.14 +/- 72.15, and in the mixed group, they were 66.59 +/- 18.91, 71.61 +/- 13.47 respectively. In all three groups, the components of personal feelings and sexual life before and after treatment were different (P < 0.001). The regression test proved the effects of such variables as education, body mass index (BMI) and duration of infection on the quality of sexual life (P < 0.05), and the greatest effect was related to the duration of infection with a coefficient of - 0.342. CONCLUSIONS After treating the vaginal infections, these women's quality of sexual life improved. As a result, it can be concluded that the diagnosis and treatment of the disease can enhance the quality of sexual life.T