Abstract
Background: Although many women report sexual dysfunction in the
postpartum period, controversial research has been reported the
relationship between delivery mode and sexual function. Objectives: This
meta-analysis aimed to investigate the sexual function after childbirth
and identify the difference of sexual function in women with elective
cesarean section and spontaneous vaginal delivery. Search Strategy:
Studies were found by searching in Medline, PubMed, Web of Science,
Scopus, Google Scholar databases and considering the references of the
related papers. Selection Criteria: All observational studies in English
that reported the mean and SD of score of sexual function and its
domains based on the mode of delivery were included in this
meta-analysis. Data Collection and Analysis: Finally, 17 articles with a
total population of 3410 were included in the meta-analysis. Random
effect model was used to combine the results of included studies on
female sexual function and its subdomains. Main Result: The subgroup
analysis showed that there were no significant differences in the mean
score of sexual function and subdomain among the three delivery
groups(P>0.05). However, the mean score of sexual function
was significantly differed in the term of time elapsed since delivery (P
= 0.04) and studied country (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The
result indicated that the mode of delivery are not associated with the
female sexual function. As a result, women’s preference for cesarean
section to avoid possible impairment of sexual function has gone almost
under-questioned.