Non-responding Health System to Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs: A Mixed Method Study

Background and Appropriate health services including sexual health are regarded as human rights especially for women. The aim of this study was to determine the extent and causes of lack of sexual health services in women attending health centers, and providing a suitable strategy for their elimination.
This study was conducted using a sequential explanatory mixed method in 2014. The first phase of the study was done in 514 women who referred to Sari health centers applying a cross-sectional design. Women who did not receive even one of the sexual health services entered the qualitative phase of the study, which was done by conventional qualitative content analysis. Then, the two phases were combined. Nominal group technique was used to prioritize the strategies about sexual health services.
The quantitative phase showed that 20% of females and 50% of male partners did not seek treatments for genital ulcers or abnormal secretions. None of the males with multiple spouses have used condoms at their last sexual intercourses. According to the qualitative phase, two reasons were found for not receiving sexual health services: the lack of women's attendance to health centers and non-accountability of health centers to women's sexual health needs.
The current health system in Iran does not respond to women’s sexual health needs. Therefore, in Iran, sexual health services are suggested to be integrated with the health system alongside empowering women about their health needs and increasing men's awareness in providing women's sexual needs.