OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to explore perceptions and experiences of general practitioners and midwives during sexual dialogue with menopausal women. METHODS: In a descriptive exploratory qualitative study, 13 midwives and 12 general practitioners were selected using a semi-structured interview and purposive sampling method. Data analysis was conducted using qualitative content analysis adopted by Graneheim and Lundman. RESULTS: Through data analysis “sexual disharmony” emerged as a central theme, which included three categories of reasons, strategies, and ramifications of sexual disharmony. Reasons for sexual disharmony included subcategories of aging and health related-problems, marital problems, and stereotypical perceptions regarding menopause and sexuality and daily concerns. Strategies used by couples to address sexual disharmony consisted of changing roles and values, pretending to reach orgasm, suppressing sexual desire, meeting sexual needs of husbands in accordance with religious rules, seeking help of peers, seeking friends or traditional medicine and health providers, seeking a help charmer, engaging in sex with other women to fulfill sexual needs, pretending to be moody to alleviate sexual tension. Sexual disharmony may lead to spending money on a prostitute instead of engaging in sex out of wedlock or a surge in social pathologies such as sexually transmitted disease. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers must be aware of various sexual behavior of menopausal women and their husbands when they detect sexual disharmony in their patients. Results of this study can facilitate development of restricted guidelines for sexual discussion with menopausal women.
Aging ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Friends ; General Practitioners ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Medicine, Traditional ; Menopause ; Methods ; Midwifery ; Orgasm ; Pathology ; Sex Workers ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological ; Sexuality ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Spouses ; Statistics as Topic

Title and Abstract correction. The title and abstract should be corrected as ‘Sexual Disharmony in Menopausal Women and Their Husband: A Qualitative Study of Reasons and Strategies’.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to determine the barriers influencing the sexual conversation. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 200 midwives were selected through convenience sampling method from private and public clinics in Mashhad, North East of Iran. A self-structured questionnaire was used to collect the study data. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 39.58 ± 8.12 years with 13.49 ± 7.59 years of work experience. A number of cultural conditions act as an inhibitory force for the midwives to address sexual issues with menopausal women. Menopausal women visit a doctor at the acute stage when emotional and physical problems make sexual discussion difficult for the midwives (86.5%). Other related causes for not having proper sexual conversation were insufficient knowledge (51.4%), inadequate education provided via public media through health providers (83.5%), midwives or their patient's shame (51.5%), and attempt to get help from traditional healers, friends, relatives and supplicants instead of midwifery staff (78.5%). Also, we found that sexual workshops, communication workshops, and work experiences had a significant influence in changing the views of midwives. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural barriers prevent the patients and providers from communicating effectively with each other, thus highlighting the need for sexual and communication workshops for the health care providers.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Female ; Friends ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Iran ; Menopause ; Methods ; Midwifery ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexuality ; Shame