title: Assessment of female sexual function in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Female sexual dysfunction is a frequent problem that may be caused by several factors, such as pregnancy and diabetes, and that can affect the woman's quality of life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the sexual function of pregnant women with gestational diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional clinical study involving 88 women, among which 33 were pregnant with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 55 were with low-risk pregnancy (LRP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sexual function was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a self-applicable questionnaire validated in Portuguese. All the pregnant women answered the questionnaire between the 20th and 25th week of gestation. Data were submitted to descriptive analysis by using the SAS version 9.2 procedure PROC MEANS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA), whereas Student's t-test was applied by using the procedure PROC TTEST (SAS Institute Inc.) at a significance level of ≤5% for all analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of women presenting sexual dysfunction in each group was the following: 66.7% in Group GDM and 38.9% in the Group LRP, with significant difference between the groups (P = 0.03). However, no significant differences were found between the groups regarding sexual desire, excitement, lubrication, and pain. On the total score of FSFI, Group GDM had a score ≤26.55 (P = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetic pregnant women were found to have a higher incidence of sexual dysfunction as their scores were lower for all FSFI domains compared with LRP females.
authors: Department of Biomechanics, Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Locomotor System, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Flaviane de Oliveira
authors: Fde O
authors: Souza
authors: Letícia Alves Rios
authors: LA
authors: Dias
authors: Maíra de Menezes
authors: Mde M
authors: Franco
authors: Elaine Caldeira de Oliveira
authors: EC
authors: Guirro
authors: Ricardo de Carvalho
authors: Rde C
authors: Cavalli
authors: Lúcia Alves da Silva
authors: LA
authors: Lara
authors: Cristine Homsi Jorge
authors: CH
authors: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult