Aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of sexual health education on sexual beliefs, behaviors, and function for pregnant women. Design: A quasi-experimental design was used. Setting: the current study was conducted at antenatal clinic at Benha university hospital. Sample: A purposive sample of 230 women was included and randomly allocated into two equal groups study and control. Three tools were used for data collection; 1) a structured interview questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric history and women’s beliefs towards sexual health during pregnancy. 2) Sexual health behaviors of pregnant women. 3) Arabic version of Female Sexual Function Index. Results: There was no significant difference between both groups in general characteristics. There was a significant improvement in women' beliefs toward sexual health during pregnancy in the study group after education p ≤ 0.001. Health behaviors were improved in the study group compared to the control group after the sexual health education. Female sexual function mean scores were slightly similar in both groups with no statistically significant difference before the sexual health education. Meanwhile, the mean of total scores of sexual function was significantly higher in the study group compared with the control group at follow-up periods p ≤ 0.001. Conclusion: Sexual health education during pregnancy was effective in improving women's beliefs and health behaviors as well as sexual function during pregnancy. The study recommended that provide sexual health education during pregnancy as a routine antenatal care. |
