Effect of Sexual Counseling Based on Better Model on Sexual Function of Pregnant Women

Background: Pregnancy is one of the important factors affecting sexual function. Female
sexual dysfunction is an important public health issue. Aim: This study aimed to assess the effect of
sexual counseling based on BETTER model on sexual function of pregnant women. Design: A
quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Setting: This study was carried out at the
antenatal outpatient clinics of Mansoura University Hospitals, Egypt. Study subjects: A non-
probability purposive sample of 80 pregnant women was assigned either to the control group who
received routine antenatal care or the intervention group who received sexual counseling based on
the BETTER model (n=40 per group). Tools: Two tools were used, a structured interview schedule
to cover data related to women's general characteristics & obstetric history and the FSFI to assess
the sexual function of pregnant women. Results: The present study results showed that there was a
highly statistically significant increase in total female sexual function index score at post-
intervention and follow-up evaluation in the intervention compared to the control group (p < 0.001).
There was a significant association between the sexual function of the pregnant women and their
age & educational level in both groups post-intervention (p < 0.05), there was a statistically
significant association between the sexual function and gestational age & parity in both groups (p
<0.05). Conclusion: The current study hypothesis was accepted where sexual counseling based on
BETTER model was effective in increasing pregnant women's sexual function at post-intervention
and follow-up evaluation in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Recommendation: The current study recommended adopting the BETTER sexual model of
counseling for the management of sexual dysfunction of women in maternity hospitals.