The Effect of a Sexual Health Promotion Training Program on Sexual Function of Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Pregnancy care and screening programs are very important, especially in high-risk pregnancies. However, few interventional studies have addressed mental and sexual health in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the effect of a sexual health promotion training program on sexual function of pregnant women with GDM referring to comprehensive health centers in Zahedan, Iran, in 2020. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 80 pregnant women with GDM (gestational age: 24 - 30 weeks). The participants were selected using multi-stage sampling method and randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. The participants in the intervention group received sexual health promotion training in four sessions (60 - 90 minutes) two sessions per week. The participants in the control group received routine care. The demographic information questionnaire was completed by the participants at the beginning of the study, and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was administered before and four weeks after the completion of the sexual health promotion training program. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) using independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and chi-square test. Results: The results showed a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups in all subscales of sexual function (P < 0.05). Moreover, the results of ANCOVA for the total sexual function score showed that the women in the intervention group had significantly higher levels of sexual function (22.89 ± 3.24) compared to the women in the control group (16.78 ± 3.16) (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Given the positive and significant effect of sexual health promotion training on the sexual function of pregnant women with GDM, it is recommended to integrate this training program in prenatal care of these vulnerable women.