# Sleep Matters for Intimacy: Impact of Sleep Quality and Psychosocial Context on Female Sexual Function During Pregnancy

## TL;DR

Poor sleep during pregnancy is strongly linked to reduced sexual function in women, with social support and mood also playing important roles.

## Contribution

This study identifies sleep quality as a key, modifiable factor influencing sexual function in pregnancy, independent of other psychosocial and physical factors.

## Key findings

- Women with poor sleep had significantly lower sexual function scores in the third trimester.
- Poor sleep was independently associated with sexual dysfunction, even after adjusting for mood, body image, and physical activity.
- Higher social support was protective against reduced sexual function during pregnancy.

## Abstract

Background and Objectives: Sleep disruption and reduced physical activity are common in pregnancy and may impair sexual function through mood, body-image, and relational pathways. We prospectively examined whether sleep quality and physical activity predicted third-trimester sexual function in a Romanian antenatal cohort, and explored psychosocial correlates. Materials and Methods: In a single-center cohort, 102 pregnant adults were enrolled ≤ 20 weeks and followed to the third trimester. Sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index–Romanian version, FSFI-RO), physical activity (IPAQ-SF), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), body-image avoidance (Body Exposure during Sexual Activities Questionnaire, BESAQ), and perceived social support (MSPSS) were assessed. Groups were defined by mid-/late-pregnancy sleep (good, PSQI ≤ 5; poor, PSQI > 5). Analyses used t-tests, Pearson correlations, multivariable linear regression for FSFI-Total, and logistic regression for FSFI-Total < 26.55. Results: Compared with good sleepers (n = 56), women with poor sleep (n = 46) had lower third-trimester FSFI-Total (24.4 ± 3.9 vs. 27.9 ± 4.3; p < 0.001) and higher odds of FSFI-defined dysfunction (adjusted OR 121.1; 95% CI 19.2–763.0; p < 0.001). FSFI-Total correlated with worse sleep (PSQI r = −0.42), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 r = −0.36), social support (MSPSS r = 0.40), body-image avoidance (BESAQ r = −0.34) and physical activity (IPAQ-SF r = 0.24; all p ≤ 0.015). In adjusted models (R2 = 0.42), higher MSPSS (β = 0.26; p = 0.004) was protective, whereas PSQI (β = −0.24; p = 0.008), ΔPHQ-9 (β = −0.19; p = 0.023), BESAQ (β = −0.17; p = 0.031), and higher BMI (β = −0.14; p = 0.049) predicted lower FSFI-Total. Conclusions: In this antenatal cohort, poor sleep was strongly and independently associated with lower sexual function, with meaningful contributions from social support, mood, body-image cognition, and physical activity, highlighting sleep as a clinically actionable target for preserving sexual well-being in pregnancy.