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Firoozi, A., Kashani, F. L., & Vaziri, S. (2023). Sexual function and sexual satisfaction in individuals undergoing infertility: A systematic review. International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM), 21(9), 697–714. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijrm.v21i9.14404
https://doi.org/10.18502/ijrm.v21i9.14404
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authors
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Armin Firoozi
Armin Firoozi
Department of Psychology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran.
-
Farah Lotfi Kashani
Farah Lotfi Kashani
School of Medicine, Department of Psychology, Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
-
Shahram Vaziri
Shahram Vaziri
School of Medicine, Department of Psychology, Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Published Date
- Oct 26, 2023
Sexual function and sexual satisfaction in individuals undergoing infertility: A systematic review
Abstract
Background: Although sexual function (SF) and sexual satisfaction (SS) are the essential factors influenced negatively by infertility and may be associated with delaying or disrupting infertility treatment, no systematic review has assessed the results of these studies so far.
Objective: The present study aimed to systematically review published interventional research regarding SF and SS among infertile individuals.
Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, the databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, PsycInfo, Google Scholar, and SID were searched to retrieve the relevant studies in Persian and English languages up to August 2021.
Results: 23 interventional studies were included in this systematic review, of which only 2 were low quality based on the critical appraisal skills program checklist. The interventions of the included studies were classified into 2 main categories: educational and psychological interventions for increasing the SF and SS among infertile women or couples.
Conclusion: There was no clear evidence to understand the most effective method for increasing SF and satisfaction among couples with infertility. Based on the results of the included studies, all of them showed the effectiveness of the various interventions performed on sexual health dimensions among couples with infertility. This systematic review showed that most SF studies were educational, whereas the SS were more psychologically interventional. Conducting standardized and high-quality randomized controlled trials focusing on SF and SS is recommended.
Key words: Sexual health, Sexual satisfaction, Psychological intervention, Early intervention, Educational.
References
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2. Kapisiz S, Gok FA, Yilmaz N, Ozcan S, Duyan V. Marital satisfaction and influencing factors in couples with infertility. Cukurova Med J 2019; 44: 1074-1084.
3. Luk BHK, Loke AY. Sexual satisfaction, intimacy and relationship of couples undergoing infertility treatment. J Reprod Infant Psychol 2019; 37: 108-122.
4. Agustus P, Munivenkatappa M, Prasad P. Sexual functioning, beliefs about sexual functioning and quality of life of women with infertility problems. J Hum Reprod Sci 2017; 10: 213-220.
5. Al-Turki HA. Prevalence of primary and secondary infertility from tertiary center in eastern Saudi Arabia. Middle East Fertil Soc J 2015; 20: 237-240.
6. Mahadeen AI, Hamdan-Mansour AM, Habashneh SA, Dardas LA. Sexual satisfaction among couples with infertility: Demographics and psychosocial health factors. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 2020; 58: 40-47.
7. Samadaee-Gelehkolaee K, McCarthy BW, Khalilian A, Hamzehgardeshi Z, Peyvandi S, Elyasi F, et al. Factors associated with marital satisfaction in infertile couple: A comprehensive literature review. Glob J Health Sci 2016; 8: 96-109.
8. Direkvand-Moghadam A, Delpisheh A, Direkvand-Moghadam A. Effect of infertility on sexual function: A cross-sectional study. J Clin Diagn Res 2015; 9: QC01-QC03.
9. Tao P, Coates R, Maycock B. The impact of infertility on sexuality: A literature review. Australas Med J 2011; 4: 620-627.
10. Jamali S, Rasekh Jahromi A, Javadpour Sh. Sexual function in fertile and infertile women referring to the Jahrom infertility in 2011. Jundishapur J Chronic Dis Care 2014; 3: 11-20.
11. Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gotzsche PC, Ioannidis JP, et al. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: Explanation and elaboration. PLoS Med 2009; 6: e1000100.
12. Shamseer L, Moher D, Clarke M, Ghersi D, Liberati A, Petticrew M, et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015: Elaboration and explanation. BMJ 2015; 349: g7647.
13. Fahami F, Pahlavanzadeh S, Asadi M. Efficacy of communication skills training workshop on sexual function in infertile women. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 2015; 20: 179-183.
14. Jalilian N, Mokari Z. The effectiveness of sexual skills training with a cognitive-behavioral approach on sexual dysfunction among infertile women. Middle East J Fam Med 2018; 15: 126-132.
15. Jamali S, Sharifi N, Bigizadeh S, Sepidkar A. Impact of personal training and educational booklet distribution strategies on the anxiety and regulating sexual function in infertile women: A case study of Iran. Ambient Sci 2018; 5: 28-33.
16. Ramadan SA, Said AR. Effect of an educational intervention for infertile women regarding natural fertility methods and sexual skills for improving sexual function. Am J Nurs Res 2018; 6: 1-11.
17. Hasanzadeh M, Akbari B, Abolghasemi A. [The effectiveness of transactional analysis therapy on emotion regulation strategies and sexual function of infertile women]. Nurs Midwifery J 2018; 16: 373-381. (in Persian)
18. Wekker V, Karsten MD, Painter RC, Van De Beek C, Groen H, Mol BWJ, et al. A lifestyle intervention improves sexual function of women with obesity and infertility: A 5 year follow-up of a RCT. PLoS One 2018; 13: e0205934.
19. Pakgohar GM, Vizheh M, Babaei GR, Ramazanzadeh F, Abedinia N. [Effect of counseling on sexual satisfaction among infertile women referred to Tehran fertility center]. Hayat 2008; 14: 21-30. (in Persian)
20. Hussein A. Effect of psychological intervention on marital satisfaction rate of couples with infertility. Int J Educ Policy Res Rew 2014; l: 028-036.
21. Soleimani AA, Najafi M, Ahmadi K, Javidi N, Kamkar EH, Mahboubi M. The effectiveness of emotionally focused couples therapy on sexual satisfaction and marital adjustment of couples with infertility with marital conflicts. Int J Fertil Steril 2015; 9: 393-402.
22. Solati K, Lo’Bat Ja’Farzadeh AH. The effect of stress management based on group cognitive-behavioural therapy on marital satisfaction in infertile women. J Clin Diagn Res 2016; 10: VC01-VC03.
23. Masoumi SZ, Khani S, Kazemi F, Kalhori F, Ebrahimi R, Roshanaei G. Effect of marital relationship enrichment program on marital satisfaction, marital intimacy, and sexual satisfaction of couples with infertility. Int J Fertil Steril 2017; 11: 197-204.
24. Latifnejad Roudsari R, Rasoulzadeh Bidgoli M. The effect of collaborative infertility counseling on marital satisfaction in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization: A randomized controlled trial. Nurs Midwifery Stud 2017; 6: e36723.
25. Ashrafian F, Sadeghi M, Rezaei F. [The effect of integrative positive cognitive behavioral therapy on infertility stress and hope in infertile women]. J Clin Nurs Midwifery 2019; 8: 436-445. (in Persian)
26. Shahbazi A, Moghadam ZB, Maasoumi R, Saffari M, Mohammadi S, Montazeri A. Effect of a health-education program based on the BASNEF model of overall sexual health satisfaction and satisfaction with quality of sexual relationship among women with infertility. Int J Womens Health 2020; 12: 975-982.
27. Kim M, Moon S-H, Kim J-E. Effects of psychological intervention for Korean infertile women under in vitro fertilization on infertility stress, depression, intimacy, sexual satisfaction and fatigue. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 2020; 34: 211-217.
28. Vazirnia F, Karimi J, Goodarzi K, Sadeghi M. Effects of integrative behavioral couple therapy on infertility self-efficacy, dyadic adjustment, and sexual satisfaction in couples with infertility. JCCNC 2021; 7: 43-54.
29. Purssell E. Can the critical appraisal skills programme check‐lists be used alongside grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation to improve transparency and decision‐making? J Adv Nurs 2020; 76: 1082-1089.
30. Long HA, French DP, Brooks JM. Optimising the value of the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) tool for quality appraisal in qualitative evidence synthesis. Res Methods Med Health Sci 2020; 1: 31-42.
31. Karakas S, Aslan E. Sexual counseling in women with primary infertility and sexual dysfunction: Use of the BETTER model. J Sex Marital Ther 2019; 45: 21-30.
32. Hasanzadeh M, Akbari B, Abolghasemi A. [Efficiency of acceptance and commitment therapy on psychological well-being and sexual function in women with infertility history]. Avicenna J Nurs Midwifery Care 2019; 27: 250-259. (in Persian)
33. Sahraeian M, Lotfi R, Qorbani M, Faramarzi M, Dinpajooh F, Ramezani Tehrani F. The effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on sexual function in infertile women: A randomized controlled clinical trial. J Sex Marital Ther 2019; 45: 574-584.
34. Marvi N, Golmakani N, Miri HH, Esmaily H. The effect of sexual education based on sexual health model on the sexual function of women with infertility. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 2019; 24: 444-450.
35. Pasha H, Basirat Z, Faramarzi M, Kheirkhah F. Is psychosexual therapy a reliable alternative to bupropion extended-release to promote the sexual function in infertile women? An RCT. Int J Reprod BioMed 2020; 18: 175-186.
36. Mohammadzadeh M, Lotfi R, Karimzadeh M, Kabir K. The effect of sexual counseling using BETTER model on sexual function of women with infertility: A randomized controlled trial. Int J Sex Health 2021; 33: 175-184.
37. Alimanesh N, Keshavarz Z, Riazi H, Heidar Z, Nasiri M. [The effect of infertile couple's skills promotion package on management of sexual relationships: A clinical trial study]. J Isfahan Med Sci 2021; 38: 1012-1020. (in Persian)
38. da Silva Lara LA, Neto MdAC, de Paula Martins W, Ferriani RA, Navarro PA. Assessment of sexual function in infertile women in a gynecological care setting. J Sex Med 2016; 13: 938-944.
39. Ozturk S, Sut HK, Kucuk L. Examination of sexual functions and depressive symptoms among infertile and fertile women. Pak J Med Sci 2019; 35: 1355.
40. Aggarwal RS, Mishra VV, Jasani AF. Incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunction in infertile females. Middle East Fertil Soc J 2013; 18: 187-190.
41. Batool SSh, der Visser RO. Experiences of infertility in British and Pakistani women: A cross-cultural qualitative analysis. Health Care Women Int 2016; 37: 180-196.
42. Davari Tanha F, Mohseni M, Ghajarzadeh M. Sexual function in women with primary and secondary infertility in comparison with controls. Int J Impot Res 2014; 26: 132-134.
43. Keskin U, Coksuer H, Gungor S, Ercan CM, Karasahin KE, Baser I. Differences in prevalence of sexual dysfunction between primary and secondary infertile women. Fertil Steril 2011; 96: 1213-1217.
44. Pakpour AH, Yekaninejad MS, Zeidi IM, Burri A. Prevalence and risk factors of the female sexual dysfunction in a sample of infertile Iranian women. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2012; 286: 1589-1596.
45. Carter J, Applegarth L, Josephs L, Grill E, Baser RE, Rosenwaks Z. A cross-sectional cohort study of infertile women awaiting oocyte donation: The emotional, sexual, and quality-of-life impact. Fertil Steril 2011; 95: 711-716.
46. Youseflu S, Jahanian Sadatmahalleh S, Bahri Khomami M, Nasiri M. Influential factors on sexual function in infertile women with endometriosis: A path analysis. BMC Women's Health 2020; 20: 1-7.
47. Khademi A, Alleyassin A, Amini M, Ghaemi M. Evaluation of sexual dysfunction prevalence in couples with infertility. J Sex Med 2008; 5: 1402-1410.
48. Anderson K, Sharpe M, Rattray A, Irvine D. Distress and concerns in couples referred to a specialist infertility clinic. J Psychosom Res 2003; 54: 353-355.
2. Kapisiz S, Gok FA, Yilmaz N, Ozcan S, Duyan V. Marital satisfaction and influencing factors in couples with infertility. Cukurova Med J 2019; 44: 1074-1084.
3. Luk BHK, Loke AY. Sexual satisfaction, intimacy and relationship of couples undergoing infertility treatment. J Reprod Infant Psychol 2019; 37: 108-122.
4. Agustus P, Munivenkatappa M, Prasad P. Sexual functioning, beliefs about sexual functioning and quality of life of women with infertility problems. J Hum Reprod Sci 2017; 10: 213-220.
5. Al-Turki HA. Prevalence of primary and secondary infertility from tertiary center in eastern Saudi Arabia. Middle East Fertil Soc J 2015; 20: 237-240.
6. Mahadeen AI, Hamdan-Mansour AM, Habashneh SA, Dardas LA. Sexual satisfaction among couples with infertility: Demographics and psychosocial health factors. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 2020; 58: 40-47.
7. Samadaee-Gelehkolaee K, McCarthy BW, Khalilian A, Hamzehgardeshi Z, Peyvandi S, Elyasi F, et al. Factors associated with marital satisfaction in infertile couple: A comprehensive literature review. Glob J Health Sci 2016; 8: 96-109.
8. Direkvand-Moghadam A, Delpisheh A, Direkvand-Moghadam A. Effect of infertility on sexual function: A cross-sectional study. J Clin Diagn Res 2015; 9: QC01-QC03.
9. Tao P, Coates R, Maycock B. The impact of infertility on sexuality: A literature review. Australas Med J 2011; 4: 620-627.
10. Jamali S, Rasekh Jahromi A, Javadpour Sh. Sexual function in fertile and infertile women referring to the Jahrom infertility in 2011. Jundishapur J Chronic Dis Care 2014; 3: 11-20.
11. Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gotzsche PC, Ioannidis JP, et al. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: Explanation and elaboration. PLoS Med 2009; 6: e1000100.
12. Shamseer L, Moher D, Clarke M, Ghersi D, Liberati A, Petticrew M, et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015: Elaboration and explanation. BMJ 2015; 349: g7647.
13. Fahami F, Pahlavanzadeh S, Asadi M. Efficacy of communication skills training workshop on sexual function in infertile women. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 2015; 20: 179-183.
14. Jalilian N, Mokari Z. The effectiveness of sexual skills training with a cognitive-behavioral approach on sexual dysfunction among infertile women. Middle East J Fam Med 2018; 15: 126-132.
15. Jamali S, Sharifi N, Bigizadeh S, Sepidkar A. Impact of personal training and educational booklet distribution strategies on the anxiety and regulating sexual function in infertile women: A case study of Iran. Ambient Sci 2018; 5: 28-33.
16. Ramadan SA, Said AR. Effect of an educational intervention for infertile women regarding natural fertility methods and sexual skills for improving sexual function. Am J Nurs Res 2018; 6: 1-11.
17. Hasanzadeh M, Akbari B, Abolghasemi A. [The effectiveness of transactional analysis therapy on emotion regulation strategies and sexual function of infertile women]. Nurs Midwifery J 2018; 16: 373-381. (in Persian)
18. Wekker V, Karsten MD, Painter RC, Van De Beek C, Groen H, Mol BWJ, et al. A lifestyle intervention improves sexual function of women with obesity and infertility: A 5 year follow-up of a RCT. PLoS One 2018; 13: e0205934.
19. Pakgohar GM, Vizheh M, Babaei GR, Ramazanzadeh F, Abedinia N. [Effect of counseling on sexual satisfaction among infertile women referred to Tehran fertility center]. Hayat 2008; 14: 21-30. (in Persian)
20. Hussein A. Effect of psychological intervention on marital satisfaction rate of couples with infertility. Int J Educ Policy Res Rew 2014; l: 028-036.
21. Soleimani AA, Najafi M, Ahmadi K, Javidi N, Kamkar EH, Mahboubi M. The effectiveness of emotionally focused couples therapy on sexual satisfaction and marital adjustment of couples with infertility with marital conflicts. Int J Fertil Steril 2015; 9: 393-402.
22. Solati K, Lo’Bat Ja’Farzadeh AH. The effect of stress management based on group cognitive-behavioural therapy on marital satisfaction in infertile women. J Clin Diagn Res 2016; 10: VC01-VC03.
23. Masoumi SZ, Khani S, Kazemi F, Kalhori F, Ebrahimi R, Roshanaei G. Effect of marital relationship enrichment program on marital satisfaction, marital intimacy, and sexual satisfaction of couples with infertility. Int J Fertil Steril 2017; 11: 197-204.
24. Latifnejad Roudsari R, Rasoulzadeh Bidgoli M. The effect of collaborative infertility counseling on marital satisfaction in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization: A randomized controlled trial. Nurs Midwifery Stud 2017; 6: e36723.
25. Ashrafian F, Sadeghi M, Rezaei F. [The effect of integrative positive cognitive behavioral therapy on infertility stress and hope in infertile women]. J Clin Nurs Midwifery 2019; 8: 436-445. (in Persian)
26. Shahbazi A, Moghadam ZB, Maasoumi R, Saffari M, Mohammadi S, Montazeri A. Effect of a health-education program based on the BASNEF model of overall sexual health satisfaction and satisfaction with quality of sexual relationship among women with infertility. Int J Womens Health 2020; 12: 975-982.
27. Kim M, Moon S-H, Kim J-E. Effects of psychological intervention for Korean infertile women under in vitro fertilization on infertility stress, depression, intimacy, sexual satisfaction and fatigue. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 2020; 34: 211-217.
28. Vazirnia F, Karimi J, Goodarzi K, Sadeghi M. Effects of integrative behavioral couple therapy on infertility self-efficacy, dyadic adjustment, and sexual satisfaction in couples with infertility. JCCNC 2021; 7: 43-54.
29. Purssell E. Can the critical appraisal skills programme check‐lists be used alongside grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation to improve transparency and decision‐making? J Adv Nurs 2020; 76: 1082-1089.
30. Long HA, French DP, Brooks JM. Optimising the value of the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) tool for quality appraisal in qualitative evidence synthesis. Res Methods Med Health Sci 2020; 1: 31-42.
31. Karakas S, Aslan E. Sexual counseling in women with primary infertility and sexual dysfunction: Use of the BETTER model. J Sex Marital Ther 2019; 45: 21-30.
32. Hasanzadeh M, Akbari B, Abolghasemi A. [Efficiency of acceptance and commitment therapy on psychological well-being and sexual function in women with infertility history]. Avicenna J Nurs Midwifery Care 2019; 27: 250-259. (in Persian)
33. Sahraeian M, Lotfi R, Qorbani M, Faramarzi M, Dinpajooh F, Ramezani Tehrani F. The effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on sexual function in infertile women: A randomized controlled clinical trial. J Sex Marital Ther 2019; 45: 574-584.
34. Marvi N, Golmakani N, Miri HH, Esmaily H. The effect of sexual education based on sexual health model on the sexual function of women with infertility. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 2019; 24: 444-450.
35. Pasha H, Basirat Z, Faramarzi M, Kheirkhah F. Is psychosexual therapy a reliable alternative to bupropion extended-release to promote the sexual function in infertile women? An RCT. Int J Reprod BioMed 2020; 18: 175-186.
36. Mohammadzadeh M, Lotfi R, Karimzadeh M, Kabir K. The effect of sexual counseling using BETTER model on sexual function of women with infertility: A randomized controlled trial. Int J Sex Health 2021; 33: 175-184.
37. Alimanesh N, Keshavarz Z, Riazi H, Heidar Z, Nasiri M. [The effect of infertile couple's skills promotion package on management of sexual relationships: A clinical trial study]. J Isfahan Med Sci 2021; 38: 1012-1020. (in Persian)
38. da Silva Lara LA, Neto MdAC, de Paula Martins W, Ferriani RA, Navarro PA. Assessment of sexual function in infertile women in a gynecological care setting. J Sex Med 2016; 13: 938-944.
39. Ozturk S, Sut HK, Kucuk L. Examination of sexual functions and depressive symptoms among infertile and fertile women. Pak J Med Sci 2019; 35: 1355.
40. Aggarwal RS, Mishra VV, Jasani AF. Incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunction in infertile females. Middle East Fertil Soc J 2013; 18: 187-190.
41. Batool SSh, der Visser RO. Experiences of infertility in British and Pakistani women: A cross-cultural qualitative analysis. Health Care Women Int 2016; 37: 180-196.
42. Davari Tanha F, Mohseni M, Ghajarzadeh M. Sexual function in women with primary and secondary infertility in comparison with controls. Int J Impot Res 2014; 26: 132-134.
43. Keskin U, Coksuer H, Gungor S, Ercan CM, Karasahin KE, Baser I. Differences in prevalence of sexual dysfunction between primary and secondary infertile women. Fertil Steril 2011; 96: 1213-1217.
44. Pakpour AH, Yekaninejad MS, Zeidi IM, Burri A. Prevalence and risk factors of the female sexual dysfunction in a sample of infertile Iranian women. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2012; 286: 1589-1596.
45. Carter J, Applegarth L, Josephs L, Grill E, Baser RE, Rosenwaks Z. A cross-sectional cohort study of infertile women awaiting oocyte donation: The emotional, sexual, and quality-of-life impact. Fertil Steril 2011; 95: 711-716.
46. Youseflu S, Jahanian Sadatmahalleh S, Bahri Khomami M, Nasiri M. Influential factors on sexual function in infertile women with endometriosis: A path analysis. BMC Women's Health 2020; 20: 1-7.
47. Khademi A, Alleyassin A, Amini M, Ghaemi M. Evaluation of sexual dysfunction prevalence in couples with infertility. J Sex Med 2008; 5: 1402-1410.
48. Anderson K, Sharpe M, Rattray A, Irvine D. Distress and concerns in couples referred to a specialist infertility clinic. J Psychosom Res 2003; 54: 353-355.