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Prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Banaei Mojdeh,
Kariman Nourossadat,
Ozgoli Giti,
Nasiri Maliheh,
Ghasemi Vida,
Khiabani Azam,
Dashti Sareh,
Mohamadkhani Shahri Leila
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.13523
Subject(s) - medicine , meta analysis , confidence interval , postpartum period , obstetrics , observational study , scopus , publication bias , medline , gynecology , pregnancy , genetics , political science , law , biology
Background Dyspareunia is one of the most common postpartum sexual dysfunctions. Objective To estimate the prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia. Search strategy Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase databases were searched to July 2019 using keywords including ‘perineal pain,’ ‘dyspareunia,’ and ‘sexual pain’. Selection criteria Observational studies on the prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia were included. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently reviewed articles and extracted data. Study heterogeneity was evaluated by I 2 index; publication bias by Egger and Begg tests. Main results Twenty‐two studies enrolling 11 457 women were included. Based on meta‐analysis, the overall estimated prevalence of dyspareunia was 35% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29%–41%). The prevalence was 42% (95% CI, 26%–60%) at 2 months, 43% (95% CI, 36%–50%) at 2–6 months, and 22% (95% CI, 15%–29%) at 6–12 months postpartum. Begg test showed no significant bias in data related to the prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia ( p = 0.466). Conclusion The prevalence of postpartum dyspareunia was 35% and decreased with increasing postpartum duration. Given the high prevalence and its impact on a woman's quality of life, special attention should be paid to this common complaint during the postpartum period.