The analysis of female sexual functions, sexual satisfaction and depressive symptoms according to menstrual cycle phases

Abstract

This study was planned to investigate women’s sexual functions, sexual satisfaction and depressive symptoms according to menstrual cycle phases. It was performed with 96 women with similar characteristics among women having regular menstruation. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A total of 4 face-to-face interviews were conducted with women. In the collection of data, Diagnostic Form, FSFI and SSS-W were used at the time between the follicular and luteal phases. In both follicular and luteal phase, blood samples were collected to evaluate the serum hormone levels. According to the findings, FSFI and SSS-W total subdimension scores of women were determined to be higher in the luteal phase. According to the results of hormone analysis, sexual function and sexual satisfaction were not significantly affected in both menstrual phases. The depressive symptoms were found to have a significant effect on sexual satisfaction. It was shown that in independent groups as in with/without depression, the BDI scores had a low effect on the DHEA-S level and moderate effect on the SHBG, E₂ and Prolactin levels; in spite of this, had no effect on Progesterone and F. Testosterone levels. As a result, it can be said that sexual functions and sexual satisfaction according to menstrual phases are affected by both hormonal and nonhormonal factors.

Keywords:

• Menstrual cycle
• hormones
• sexual function
• sexual satisfaction
• depressive symptoms

Disclosure statement

Authors Serpil Abalı Çetin and Ergül Aslan declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in tehe study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Serpil Çetin

Serpil Çetin, Faculty Member, Izmir Bakırçay University Faculty of Health Sciences Nursing Department of Women Health and Gynecologic Nursing in Izmir, Turkey. She is qualified nurse. She worked as a clinical nurse for 7 years. He received his PhD title in 2016. Her research interests are women's health, gynecological nursing, sexual health, sexual dysfunction, women's sexual health, sexuality and sexual satisfaction in marriage.

Ergül Aslan

Ergül Aslan qualified as a nurse in 1994 and following a variety of nursing clinics moved into nurse education in 1996. She has been working in Higher Education for 21 years and during her career has been involved in a range of graduate and postgraduate programmes for nurses. Her main areas of interest and expertise relate to women health, urogynecology, women sexual health, gynecological cancers. She currently works as Faculty in the İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing Department of Women Health and Gynecologic Nursing in İstanbul, Turkey.