Effects of COVID-19 on sexual life – a meta-analysis

CONTEXT: Starting with the end of 2019, humanity is fighting a new type of virus, SARS-COV-2, which has brought great changes in people's lives. The COVID-19 pandemic began at the end of 2019 and spread rapidly around the world, affecting the entire planet population. METHODS: In order to identify the studies on the topic for this meta-analysis, we performed an exclusively electronic search in the international databases for specialized literature: Google Scholar and ProQuest and other sources of specialty literature; and as a result of these searches, based on keywords, we found a number of 64 articles. The key words for this search were: pandemic, COVID-19, sexual life, sexual behavior, satisfaction, marital status, Coronavirus disease. Are represented by major conditions that stand at the basis of sexual disorders and of the sexual quality life during the COVID-19 period. RESULTS: Of the 64 articles resulting from the database search, 7 met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Of the remaining 7 studies, 3 were conducted in the United States, one in China, one in Turkey, one in Italy and one in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most studies were conducted between March and April 2020 including a total of 6929 participants. CONCLUSION: The results showed there was a decrease in sexual activity during the period included in the analysis, which indicates the impact on the quality of sex life in individuals.