Abstract
Objective
Sexuality is a basic human function that can affect general well-being and overall
life quality. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge on and attitude
toward sexuality of a subgroup of Turkish women.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey including 1007 women was carried out concurrently in gynecology
and urology outpatient clinics of Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey, between
January 2003 and December 2003. A self-created questionnaire for data collection was
administered to the participants, which addressed questions concerning their sexual
life, sexual problems and attitudes towards sexuality. Statistical package for the
social sciences (SPSS) was used for the data analysis of the study (SPSS ver. 11.0
Inc. Chicago, IL, USA).
Results
The data included 1007 patients aged 14–77 (mean: 35.6 ± 11.1). Among the women assessed, 90.2% were married, 79.8% were premenopausal and
77.1% were currently sexually active. 68.7% entered sexual intercourse 1–2 times per
week, while 28.5% had an average of 3–4. 77.8% were aware of experiencing an orgasm
and 74.7% had at least one orgasm. Only 21.4% of all women had an orgasm during each
sexual intercourse. 2.2% of those who had never experienced an orgasm concurrently
applied to a medical center. The average age of first intercourse was 21.3 ± 4.1 years.
Conclusions
Because there is no national data on sexual health in Turkey, analysis and evaluation
of the severity of the problem, and alternatives for international comparisons are
not possible. In our opinion, this study presents a valuable perception into the current
sexual behavior of Turkish women.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 20, 2007
Accepted:
August 25,
2007
Received in revised form:
August 15,
2007
Received:
January 28,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
