Investigating the Relationship between Attitudes Towards Menopause and Sexual Function in Menopausal Women in War-Torn Afghanistan

Introduction: Menopause is one of the natural periods of women's life that due to the completion of a woman's egg, ovulation will no longer occur and as a result, menstruation will stop forever and they will no longer be able to have children Menopause usually begins between the ages of 49 and 52. But it can happen at any age. At this time, the ovaries secrete less female hormones, especially estrogen, and cause menopausal symptoms. Menstruation first becomes irregular and then stops altogether. Women who do not menstruate for a year are considered menopausal 35% of postmenopausal women are reported to suffer from decreased libido. Also in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany, 47%, 54%, 42% and 24% of postmenopausal women have reported decreased sexual activity. According to our study, 550% of postmenopausal women in Afghanistan suffer from decreased sexual desire. A long-running Melbourne-based population-based study reported a significant decrease in libido, arousal, orgasm, and sexual activity, and a significant increase in vaginal dryness / painful intercourse throughout menopause. The health values and beliefs of a society affect the perception of sexual desire during menopause and the will of individuals as well as the need for their treatment. After menopause, sexual desire decreases somewhat. On the other hand, due to the reduction of female secretions, vaginal dryness occurs and sometimes causes pain and discomfort during intercourse, and this issue can affect marital relations. Research findings; A total of 200 postmenopausal women aged 45-58 years were studied in this study. The mean age of these women was 7.93 ± 57.18 years. The highest age distribution was in the range of 51 to 55 years (53.7%). The mean duration of menopause was 7.00 ± 7.00 years. 176 (89%) were housewives and 167 (83.5%) had less than a diploma. Conclusion: Although no relationship was observed between sexual function and attitudes toward menopause, a large number of postmenopausal women still had a negative attitude towards this phenomenon, which was also impaired in terms of sexual function.