The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Zaręba, Kornelia; Florkiewicz-Danel, Maria; Ciebiera, Michał; Wójtowicz, Stanisław; Statsenko, Yauhen; Maki, Sara; Olszewska, Jolanta; Awar, Shamsa Al; Jakiel, Grzegorz

doi:10.3390/jcm14030847

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The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

by

Kornelia Zaręba

^1,*

,

Maria Florkiewicz-Danel

²,

Michał Ciebiera

^3,4

,

Stanisław Wójtowicz

^5,6,

Yauhen Statsenko

⁷

,

Sara Maki

¹,

Jolanta Olszewska

⁸,

Shamsa Al Awar

¹

and

Grzegorz Jakiel

⁹

¹

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates

²

Department of Nursing, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, 00-968 Warsaw, Poland

³

2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, 00-189 Warsaw, Poland

⁴

Warsaw Institute of Women’s Health in Warsaw, 00-189 Warsaw, Poland

⁵

Department of Health Psychology, Medical University of Warsaw, 00-575 Warsaw, Poland

⁶

Old Polish University of Applied Sciences, 25-666 Kielce, Poland

⁷

Department of Radiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates

⁸

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland

⁹

1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, 01-004 Waraw, Poland

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(3), 847; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14030847

Submission received: 24 October 2024 / Revised: 1 January 2025 / Accepted: 23 January 2025 / Published: 27 January 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Challenges in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Interactions Between Gynecological and Obstetric Disorders, Quality of Life, and Mental Health in Women)

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Abstract

Background: The postpartum period can carry strong stress related to the sudden changes in a woman’s life, which may contribute to changes in the female sexual sphere. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of stress on women’s sexuality in the early motherhood period. Methods: A total of 111 women were studied, including 65 in the puerperal period and 46 women who constituted the control group. We used the author’s questionnaire and five standardized psychological questionnaires (CISS-21,STAI, PSS-10, SSS-W, and the Mell–Krat Scale for women). Results: Perceived stress (PSS-10 scores) was significantly lower (p < 0.001) and sexual satisfaction (SSS-W scores) was significantly higher both regarding the summary scores (p < 0.001) and in all subscales (contentment, communication, and compatibility). In the study group, the intensity of stress was negatively correlated with the level of sexual satisfaction (p = 0.014). Women with an emotional way of coping with stress (CISS-21 inventory) in both groups achieved higher scores of sexual satisfaction in terms of communication, but a lower level in terms of interpersonal contact (p = 0.007), but higher stress intensity scores in the PSS-10 scale and in both STAI questionnaire stems. Conclusions: The early period of motherhood does not increase stress levels or decrease sexual satisfaction. It is likely that the sense of stability promotes a reduction in stress levels, which contributes to better sexual satisfaction.

Keywords: stress; anxiety; sexuality; maternity; puerperium; coping strategies

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zaręba, K.; Florkiewicz-Danel, M.; Ciebiera, M.; Wójtowicz, S.; Statsenko, Y.; Maki, S.; Olszewska, J.; Awar, S.A.; Jakiel, G. The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study. J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14, 847. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14030847

AMA Style

Zaręba K, Florkiewicz-Danel M, Ciebiera M, Wójtowicz S, Statsenko Y, Maki S, Olszewska J, Awar SA, Jakiel G. The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025; 14(3):847. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14030847

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zaręba, Kornelia, Maria Florkiewicz-Danel, Michał Ciebiera, Stanisław Wójtowicz, Yauhen Statsenko, Sara Maki, Jolanta Olszewska, Shamsa Al Awar, and Grzegorz Jakiel. 2025. "The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study" Journal of Clinical Medicine 14, no. 3: 847. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14030847

APA Style

Zaręba, K., Florkiewicz-Danel, M., Ciebiera, M., Wójtowicz, S., Statsenko, Y., Maki, S., Olszewska, J., Awar, S. A., & Jakiel, G. (2025). The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(3), 847. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14030847

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The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

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