title: Cesarean section and postnatal sexual health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cesarean delivery avoids perineal trauma and has therefore often been assumed to protect sexual function after childbirth. We sought to examine this assumption by using data from a study of women's sexual health after childbirth to assess whether women who underwent cesarean section experienced better sexual health in the postnatal period than women with vaginal births.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted of 796 primiparous women, employing data from obstetric records and a postal survey 6 months after delivery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Any protective effect of cesarean section on sexual function was limited to the early postnatal period (0-3 months), primarily to dyspareunia-related symptoms. At 6 months the differences in dyspareunia-related symptoms, sexual response-related symptoms, and postcoital problems were much reduced or reversed, and none reached statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Outcomes from this study provide no basis for advocating cesarean section as a way to protect women's sexual function after childbirth.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences and Social Care, Brunel University, Middlesex, TW7 5DU, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.forename: Christina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Manyonda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D004414:Dyspareunia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D049590:Postpartum Period; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires