Utilizing Electronic Modules to Educate on Sexual Health Practices During Pregnancy

April 13, 2026 updated by: Mary Lynn, Loyola University

This study looks at whether an interactive online education module can improve knowledge, comfort, and communication about sexual health during pregnancy. Many pregnant individuals experience changes in sexual function and intimacy but may feel uncomfortable discussing these topics or may have misconceptions about what is safe during pregnancy.

Participants who are pregnant and receiving routine prenatal care will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will complete an interactive, evidence-based educational module focused on sexual health and intimacy during pregnancy. The other group will review a standard educational article from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) about sexual activity during pregnancy.

Participants will complete surveys before and after reviewing the educational material, as well as a follow-up survey two weeks later. These surveys will measure knowledge about sexual health during pregnancy, comfort discussing sexual concerns with healthcare providers, and sexual function. The goal of this study is to determine whether an interactive educational approach can better support pregnant individuals' understanding of sexual health and encourage open communication with healthcare providers during pregnancy.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This is a prospective, randomized controlled study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive educational module on sexual health knowledge, comfort with communication, and sexual function during pregnancy.

Pregnant participants receiving routine prenatal care at the Loyola University Medical Center outpatient women's health clinic will be recruited during clinic visits. Eligible participants will be adults aged 18 years or older with a low-risk pregnancy at or beyond 12 weeks' gestation who are English-speaking and able to read English. Individuals with pregnancy complications requiring management by maternal-fetal medicine or with contraindications to sexual activity during pregnancy will be excluded.

Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two study arms. The intervention group will complete a pre-test survey, view an interactive, evidence-based educational module addressing sexual health, intimacy, and common misconceptions during pregnancy, and then complete an immediate post-test survey. The control group will complete a pre-test survey, review a standard ACOG educational article on sexual activity during pregnancy, and then complete an immediate post-test survey. All participants will receive a follow-up survey two weeks after the initial intervention.

Primary outcomes include changes in knowledge about sexual health during pregnancy. Secondary outcomes include changes in comfort discussing sexual concerns with healthcare providers and changes in sexual function as measured by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Survey data will be collected electronically using REDCap and analyzed using a per-protocol approach.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Mary Lynn, DO
  • Phone Number: 708-327-1450
  • Email: MLYNN@lumc.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Maywood, Illinois, United States, 60153
        • Loyola University Medical Center
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant individuals at or beyond 12 weeks gestation
  • Age 18 years or older
  • English speaking with English reading proficiency
  • Experiencing a low risk pregnancy with no major complications
  • Not currently followed by Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) for high risk pregnancy management

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy complications requiring management by Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM)
  • Placed on pelvic rest
  • Advised by their provider to abstain from sexual intercourse

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1: Interactive Educational Module
Participants assigned to this arm will complete a pre-test survey, review an interactive, evidence-based online educational module focused on sexual health, intimacy, and common misconceptions during pregnancy, and then complete an immediate post-test survey. A follow-up survey will be completed two weeks later.
Behavioral: Interactive Sexual Health Educational Module
An interactive, web-based educational module designed to educate pregnant individuals on sexual function, intimacy, and safe sexual practices during pregnancy. The module addresses common myths, physiological changes, communication with partners and healthcare providers, and evidence-based guidance regarding sexual activity during pregnancy.
Active Comparator: Arm 2: Standard Educational Article
Participants assigned to this arm will complete a pre-test survey, review a standard educational article from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on sexual activity during pregnancy, and then complete an immediate post-test survey. A follow-up survey will be completed two weeks later.
Behavioral: Standard ACOG Educational Article
A publicly available educational article from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) titled "Is it Safe to Have Sex During Pregnancy?" providing general guidance on sexual activity during pregnancy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Sexual Health Knowledge During Pregnancy
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and 2 weeks post-intervention
Change in participant knowledge regarding sexual health, intimacy, and safety of sexual activity during pregnancy, as measured by a study-specific knowledge survey administered before and after the educational intervention. The outcome is defined as the number of correct responses, with scores ranging from 0 to the total number of survey questions; higher scores indicate greater sexual health knowledge.
Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and 2 weeks post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Comfort Discussing Sexual Health With Healthcare Providers
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and 2 weeks post-intervention
Change in participant-reported comfort discussing sexual health concerns with healthcare providers, as measured using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Not at all comfortable") to 5 ("Extremely comfortable"). Higher scores indicate greater comfort discussing sexual health with healthcare providers.
Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and 2 weeks post-intervention
Change in Sexual Function During Pregnancy
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test) and 2 weeks post-intervention
Change in sexual function as measured by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a validated 19-item questionnaire assessing female sexual function. Total FSFI scores range from 2 to 36, with higher scores indicating better sexual function. Change in FSFI total score will be assessed following exposure to the educational intervention or control article.
Baseline (pre-test) and 2 weeks post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Loyola University

Collaborators

The international society for the study of women's sexual health

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mary Lynn, DO, Loyola University Chicago

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 13, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 219476

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared. The study team does not have plans or infrastructure in place to support external data sharing, and the informed consent does not include provisions for sharing de-identified participant-level data outside the research team.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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