gms | German Medical Science

Background: Postpartum pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) may improve sexual function and other pelvic floor disorders in postnatal women. However, it is still unclear whether or to what extent midwives offer PFMT to women postpartum. It is also unclear how women evaluate PFMT with regard to their sexual experience and whether they receive additional information on the connections.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe, from the women’s perspective, the benefits to sexual function resulting from pelvic floor training and midwifery measures to support women in postpartum care.

Method: A cross-sectional observational study of self-assessment of women’s sexual experience after childbirth was conducted. An online survey published in social media by MotherHood took place from 10/27/2022 to 11/29/2022. Included have been all women who stayed in Germany during the postpartum period. A questionnaire was conducted about various factors: childbirth, postpartum care, pelvic floor, PFMT, and sexual experience of the participants. Additional questions added were from the validated German pelvic floor questionnaire which assess sexual experience. Descriptive statistics and graphs were used to describe the variables of the study, which were adjusted to the type of variable. The descriptive statistics for categorical variables are absolute and relative frequencies. Data from this sample was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 28.

Result: There were 236 data sets that could be included in the study, of which 169 completely filled data sets could be included in the score. The women had given birth between 2017 and 2022. Practicing pelvic floor exercises was more frequently observed in participants with midwifery care in postpartum period as compared to participants without midwifery care. Midwives offer various exercises and measures for the pelvic floor as part of their childbirth care. There was a high number of dyspareunia associated with high scores in the area of life satisfaction.

Relevancy: The new insights gained from the study can be useful for midwives and women after childbirth living in Germany to help promote pelvic floor health with regard to sexual experience as part of even more women-centered care.

Conclusion: Midwives should engage in counseling about women’s sexual experience after childbirth and consider and recognize the importance of pain experience in terms of emotional implications. The use of appropriate screening tools to capture a holistic view of women’s sexual experience would be helpful, as would standardized and well-documented PFMT programs. Their evidence would have to be developed by midwifery research.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: This abstract was written in the context of a master’s thesis. The study was approved by the MHH ethics committee on September 13, 2022. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.