Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA.
J Sex Med. 2018 Apr;15(4):519-528. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.02.005. Epub 2018 Mar 6.
Little is known about the predictors of sexual intercourse frequency (SIF) among couples trying to conceive despite the well-established link between SIF and fecundity.
To evaluate men's and women's demographic, occupational, and lifestyle predictors of SIF among couples.
469 Couples without a history of infertility participating in the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment Study (2005-2009) were followed up for ≤1 year while trying to conceive. At enrollment, both partners were interviewed about demographic, occupational, lifestyle, and psychological characteristics using standardized questionnaires. Multivariable generalized linear mixed models with Poisson distribution were used to estimate the adjusted percent difference in SIF across exposure categories.
SIF was recorded in daily journals and summarized as average SIF/mo.
The median (interquartile range) SIF during follow-up was 6 (4-9) acts/mo. For every year increase in age for women and men, SIF decreased by -0.8% (95% CI -2.5 to 1.0%) and -1.7% (95% CI -3.1 to -0.3%). Women with high school education or less and those of non-white race had 34.4% and 16.0% higher SIF, respectively. A similar trend was seen for men's education and race. Only couples where both partners (but not just 1 partner) worked rotating shifts had -39.1% (95% CI -61.0 to -5.0%) lower SIF compared to couples where neither partner worked rotating shifts. Men's (but not women's) exercise was associated with 13.2% (95% CI 1.7-26.0%) higher SIF. Diagnosis of a mood or anxiety disorder in men (but not women) was associated with a 26.0% (95% CI -42.7 to -4.4%) lower SIF. Household income, smoking status, body mass index, night work, alcohol intake, and psychosocial stress were not associated with SIF.
Even among couples trying to conceive, there was substantial variation in SIF. Both partners' age, education, race, and rotating shift work as well as men's exercise and mental health play an important role in determining SIF.
As this was a secondary analysis of an existing study, we lacked information on many pertinent psychological and relationship quality variables and the hormonal status of participants, which could have affected SIF. The unique population-based couple design, however, captured both partners' demographics, occupational characteristics, and lifestyle behaviors in advance of their daily, prospective reporting of SIF, which was a major strength. Important predictors of SIF among couples attempting to conceive include men's exercise and mental health and both partners' age, education, race, and rotating shift work. Gaskins AJ, Sundaram R, Buck Louis GM, et al. Predictors of Sexual Intercourse Frequency Among Couples Trying to Conceive. J Sex Med 2018;15:519-528.
尽管性交频率 (SIF) 与生育力之间存在明确的联系，但对于试图怀孕的夫妇来说，SIF 的预测因素仍知之甚少。
评估男性和女性的人口统计学、职业和生活方式因素对夫妇 SIF 的预测作用。
469 对无不孕史的夫妇参加了生育力和环境纵向研究（2005-2009 年），在尝试怀孕期间进行了 ≤1 年的随访。在入组时，对所有夫妇都使用标准化问卷进行了人口统计学、职业、生活方式和心理特征的访谈。使用具有泊松分布的多变量广义线性混合模型来估计暴露类别之间 SIF 的调整后百分比差异。
在随访期间，SIF 的中位数（四分位距）为 6（4-9）次/月。对于女性和男性，年龄每增加 1 岁，SIF 分别减少 -0.8%（95%CI -2.5 至 1.0%）和 -1.7%（95%CI -3.1 至 -0.3%）。接受过高中或以下教育的女性和非白种人女性的 SIF 分别高出 34.4%和 16.0%。男性的教育和种族也存在类似的趋势。只有当双方（而不是仅一方）都从事轮班工作时，夫妇的 SIF 才会降低 -39.1%（95%CI -61.0 至 -5.0%），而当双方都不从事轮班工作时，SIF 没有变化。男性（而非女性）的运动与 13.2%（95%CI 1.7-26.0%）更高的 SIF 相关。男性（而非女性）的心境或焦虑障碍诊断与 26.0%（95%CI -42.7 至 -4.4%）较低的 SIF 相关。家庭收入、吸烟状况、体重指数、夜班、饮酒和心理社会压力与 SIF 无关。
即使在试图怀孕的夫妇中，SIF 也存在很大差异。双方的年龄、教育程度、种族和轮班工作以及男性的运动和心理健康在决定 SIF 方面起着重要作用。
由于这是对现有研究的二次分析，我们缺乏许多相关的心理和关系质量变量以及参与者的激素状态信息，这可能会影响 SIF。然而，独特的基于人群的夫妇设计在夫妇日常前瞻性报告 SIF 之前，提前捕获了双方的人口统计学、职业特征和生活方式行为，这是一个主要优势。试图怀孕的夫妇中 SIF 的重要预测因素包括男性的运动和心理健康以及双方的年龄、教育程度、种族和轮班工作。
