Association of Marital Satisfaction and Sexual Health Literacy with Fertility among Iranian Couples

Marital satisfaction can affect both life satisfaction and mental health. Adequate sexual health literacy level can maintain and improve sexual health in individuals. This study aimed to compare the level of marital satisfaction and sexual health literacy in fertile and infertile couples.

This descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted on 262 couples (including 136 fertile couples and 126 infertile couples) in the north and northwest of Iran during 2020-2021. The data were collected using a demographic characteristics questionnaire, a sexual health literacy for adult questionnaire, and a short-form enrich marital satisfaction scale. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS 26 Software.

The mean±SD of marital satisfaction in fertile and infertile couples was 36.93±6.58 and 36.05±6.25, respectively and this mean difference was not statistically significant (p=0.121). The mean±SD of sexual health literacy score in fertile and infertile women was 75.69±17.29, and 67.76±20.26 respectively, and it was calculated 76.89±16.22, and 67.66±20.46, in fertile and infertile men respectively. This mean difference was statistically significant (p=0.001) in both groups.  Furthermore, the husband’s education level and duration of marriage were regarded as determinants of marital satisfaction among all participants (p<0.05).

The sexual health literacy level in fertile couples is higher than in infertile ones.