Perceived Sexual Health Needs of Older Women: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Maintaining and promoting sexual health in older women requires paying attention to and meeting their sexual health‑related needs. This study aimed to determine older women’s perceived sexual health needs through a systematic review. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, studies conducted from the beginning of 2000 to August 28, 2022, were searched in Databases, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, Pub Med, and Google Scholar as a research engine. To access all English articles, keywords such as sexual health, sexual performance, sexual intercourse, sexual, need, demand, and women and their possible combinations were used using “AND” and “OR” operators. This research was implemented based on the criteria of the PRISMA checklist. The articles were evaluated using the STROBE and COREQ checklists. The thematic synthesis method was used to synthesize the data. Results: The sexual health needs of older women were categorized into four groups: restoration of violated sexual rights, elimination of age discrimination (ageism), promotion of sexual health literacy, and providing sexual health services. Conclusions: The sexual needs of older women have been neglected due to prevailing social structures of many countries, stigma, gender discrimination, and lack of sexual health literacy. In addition to the need for social and emotional support to adapt to the conditions of old age, these women need to achieve sexual rights, improve sexual health literacy, and receive health services.