Comparison of Sexual Profile Among Women with Primary and Secondary Infertility: A Cross-sectional Study

Background and Objectives: WHO defines infertility as the ‘failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse’. Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) includes disorders centered on sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain, which impair quality of life. Sexual Dysfunction impacts infertility as it results in decreased coital frequency, which can worsen infertility, adding to the distress of patients. The current study was a modest attempt to help detect and raise awareness about sexual dysfunction in patients and treating doctors, so that the necessary intervention can be provided, which ultimately improves treatment outcome and quality of life. Methods: This is a hospital-based, observational study. A total of 120 women between ages of 18 and 45 years attending the OPD Infertility clinic, at a tertiary care hospital over a period of 6 months from January 2024 to July 2024 were chosen for the study. Patients with current psychiatric illness, chronic debilitating medical illness, not engaging in sexual intercourse in the last 1 month or sexual dysfunction in a partner were excluded from the research. Results: The findings reveal that sexual dysfunction is prevalent among women facing infertility, with a slightly higher incidence in secondary infertility cases. Secondary infertile women had statistically significantly lower scores in arousal, orgasm and satisfaction domains than those with primary infertility. Conclusion: The high prevalence of sexual dysfunction both in primary and secondary infertility underscore the importance of incorporating sexual health assessments and psychosexual counseling into infertility treatment. Adopting a holistic approach, including psychological and relational dimensions of infertility care can improve both individual and couple outcomes and potentially fostering better sexual health.