SynthesisBMC pregnancy and childbirth2015
Sexual life and dysfunction after maternal morbidity: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Relationship Between Levator Ani Integrity and Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review.International urogynecology journal · 2026Pooled it
- Maternal near miss, the voices of health service survivors: a metasynthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- The Impact of Mode of Birth, and Episiotomy, on Postpartum Sexual Function in the Medium- and Longer-Term: An Integrative Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Sexual dysfunction and mode of delivery in Chinese primiparous women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2017Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of prolonged-release hyaluronic acid derivative vaginal application in the postpartum period: a prospective randomised clinical trial.Annals of medicine · 2021Trial
- Beyond the physical: exploring the complexities of Women's health after severe perineal trauma-a cross-sectional study on predictors of health-related quality of life in Sweden.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Postpartum sexual dysfunction in resource-limited settings: a cross-sectional study of maternal sexual health.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- The Efficacy of Honey for the Treatment of Perineal Wounds Following Vaginal Birth: A Narrative Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Research agenda for ending preventable maternal deaths from postpartum haemorrhage: a WHO research prioritisation exercise.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Overlooked by the obstetric gaze - how women with persistent health problems due to severe perineal trauma experience encounters with healthcare services: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Lifetime risk of maternal near miss morbidity: a novel indicator of maternal health.International journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- 'Feeling Ready': A Feminist Poststructural Analysis of Postpartum Sexual Health.Qualitative health research · 2024Article
- Adapting group care to the postpartum period using a human-centered design approach in Malawi.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- The multidimensional impact of maternal near-miss on the lives of women in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a prospective, 1-year follow-up study.AJOG global reports · 2023Article
- Negotiating the ambiguity of an (in)authentic working life: a grounded theory study into severe perineal trauma.BMC women's health · 2023Article
- Measuring the psychological burden of women with pelvic floor complaints: The psychometric characteristics of a new instrument.Open research Europe · 2023Article
- Female Sexual Dysfunctions and Urogynecological Complaints: A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Review
- Factors Associated with Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction in Spanish Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of personalized medicine · 2022Article
- Article
- Women's experiences of surviving severe obstetric complications: a qualitative inquiry in southern Ghana.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBecause there is a lack of knowledge on the long-term consequences of maternal morbidity/near miss episodes on women's sexual life and function we conducted a systematic review with the purpose of identifying the available evidence on any sexual impairment associated with complications from pregnancy and childbirth.
methodsSystematic review on aspects of women sexual life after any maternal morbidity and/or maternal near miss, during different time periods after delivery. The search was carried out until May 22(nd), 2015 including studies published from 1995 to 2015. No language or study design restrictions were applied. Maternal morbidity as exposure was split into general or severe/near miss. Female sexual outcomes evaluated were dyspareunia, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores and time to resume sexual activity after childbirth. Qualitative syntheses for outcomes were provided whenever possible.
resultsA total of 2,573 studies were initially identified, and 14 were included for analysis after standard selection procedures for systematic review. General morbidity was mainly related to major perineal injury (3(rd) or 4(th) degree laceration, 12 studies). A clear pattern for severity evaluation of maternal morbidity could not be distinguished, unless when a maternal near miss concept was used. Women experiencing maternal morbidity had more frequently dyspareunia and resumed sexual activity later, when compared to women without morbidity. There were no differences in FSFI scores between groups. Meta-analysis could not be performed, since included studies were too heterogeneous regarding study design, evaluation of exposure and/or outcome and time span.
conclusionInvestigation of long-term repercussions on women's sexual life aspects after maternal morbidity has been scarcely performed, however indicating worse outcomes for those experiencing morbidity. Further standardized evaluation of these conditions among maternal morbidity survivors may provide relevant information for clinical follow-up and reproductive planning for women.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.