O-14: Spouse Image of Body and Sexual Function :A Comparison of Fertile and Infertile Women

Background: One of the body image concepts is spouse image of body. It has an important role in selfesteem, relationship satisfaction and women&#039;s sexual health. That is, women with more positive spouse image of body may be more confident that their partners will continue to accept them and thus have more sexual function. This study therefore aimed to compare the relationship of spouse image of body with sexual function in fertile and infertile women in 2010 in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: This comparative correlation study was carried out on130 infertile women referred to Montaserieh Infertility Research Center and 130 fertile women referred to urban health clinics, Mashhad who were selected using convenient and cluster sampling, respectively. Research tools were consisted of valid and reliable demographic questionnaires including personal and fertility/infertility-related information, modified Younesi Body Image Questionnaire and ROSEN female sexual function index (FSFI), which were completed by the subjects. Data analysis was carried out by SPSS software using t-test, one way ANOVA, Spearman and Pearson correlation tests and linear regression. Results: There was no significant difference between the mean score of spouse image of body in fertile and infertile women (51/08 ± 11/5 versus 52/7 ± 10/5). However, the mean score of sexual function in fertile and infertile women was significantly different (25/8 ± 4/3 versus 27/2 ± 3/8) (p<0.01). A direct correlation was also found between spouse image of body and sexual function in both fertile (p=0.002) and infertile women (p<0.001), although the strength of relationship was higher in infertile women. Conclusion: The higher sexual function of infertile women in comparison to fertile and its direct relationship with spouse image of body should draw the attention of reproductive health care providers to adopt strategies to promote sexual function in fertile women particularly for those who suffer from sexual function.