(PM-20) INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON FEMALE SEXUALITY: REVIEW OF NARRATIVE LITERATURE

Sexuality influences thoughts, feelings, actions and interactions and therefore also affects our physical and mental health. It is a complex part of life, shaped by many factors, including religious ones. Religiosity can guide the sexual and loving experience, directly influencing the individual's sexual understanding, such as the use or not of condoms during sexual practice. Therefore, the present study aims to identify in the literature the influence of religion on female sexuality. A narrative review of the literature was carried out in the PubMed database. Articles published in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic from January 2017 to December 2022 were included, such as: clinical trials, meta-analysis and systematic review, which exclusively addressed female sexuality and religion. Studies that addressed male sexuality were excluded. 74 articles were found, of which 28 were selected for reading according to the summary and 10 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Most of the studies were on the Muslim, Islamic and Christian religions. Important points related to religious beliefs were identified, such as non-use of contraceptive methods, lack of knowledge about reproductive health, religious conflicts, marital status, virginity, sexual submission and menstrual taboos that negatively influence the quality of sexual life of religious women. . Studies with greater methodological rigor are needed to address this important issue. This review showed that religion can have an adverse impact on the sexual health and quality of life of Islamic, Christian and Muslim women. Highlighting the need to conduct research in this area to understand and address this relationship. No conflict.