Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 22;25(1):1492.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22722-3.

Improving the quality of sexual life in postmenopausal women: a qualitative study

Elnaz Haji Rafiei  1 , Hedyeh Riazi  2 , Jamal Shams  3 , Hamid Alavi Majd  4
Affiliations

Improving the quality of sexual life in postmenopausal women: a qualitative study

Elnaz Haji Rafiei et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Postmenopausal women frequently encounter a range of physical, emotional, and relational challenges. One aspect that is frequently overlooked is the impact of menopause on sexual life. The objective of this study was to elucidate solutions to enhance the quality of sexual life of postmenopausal women.

Methods: This qualitative conventional content analysis study was conducted from December 2022 to August 2023 in Qazvin, Iran. Using purposive sampling with maximum variation, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 21 participants, comprising 15 postmenopausal women and 6 experts, for a period of 3 months.

Results: From the interviews, a total of 495 initial codes were identified and subsequently organized into 39 subcategories and 11 categories. This rigorous coding process led to the extraction of three themes: "Understanding and managing influencing factors", "Raising awareness and a new perspective on sexual relationships", and "Accepting and managing postmenopausal changes".

Conclusion: By identifying the key themes that emerged from this study, we can gain a deeper understanding of the promotion of healthy and positive sexual relationships, as well as the development of strategies for addressing the challenges and complexities that arise in these relationships. The findings can serve as a basis for the implementation of interventions and the planning of initiatives aimed at the promotion of the quality of sexual life of postmenopausal women.

Keywords: Menopause; Qualitative study; Quality of life; Sexual health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted in accordance with Declaration of Helsinki. The ethics committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences approved the study (IR.SBMU.PHARMACY.REC.1402.266). All participants signed written informed consent form after explaining the objectives of the study and ensuring the confidentiality of data for them. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Forman MR, Mangini LD, Thelus-Jean R, Hayward MD. Life-course origins of the ages at menarche and menopause. Adolesc Health Med Ther. 2013;1–21. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schneider H, Birkhäuser M. Quality of life in climacteric women. Climacteric. 2017;20(3):187–94. - PubMed
    1. Nappi RE, Martini E, Martella S, Capuano F, Bosoni D, Giacomini S, et al. Maintaining sexuality in menopause. Post Reproductive Health. 2014;20(1):22–9. - PubMed
    1. Karimi FZ, Pourali L, Hasanzadeh E, Nosrati SF, Pouresmaeili N, Abdollahi M. Sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women. Acta Medica Iranica. 2021;720–5.
    1. Eftekhar T, Dashti M, Shariat M, Haghollahi F, Raisi F, Ghahghaei-Nezamabadi A. Female sexual function during the menopausal transition in a group of Iranian women. J Family Reproductive Health. 2016;10(2):52. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources