Istanbul, May 13 (IANS): Women's sexual desire and frequency of action between the sheets increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their quality of sexual life decreased, a new study has revealed.

For the study, published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, the research team from Esenler Maternity and Children's Hospital wanted to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on female sexual behaviour in women in Turkey.

In the study of 58 women, women participated in sexual intercourse on average 2.4 times per week during the pandemic, compared with 1.9 times in the 6-12 months prior to the pandemic. Before the pandemic 32.7 per cent of participants desired to become pregnant, compared with 5.1 per cent during the pandemic; however, use of contraception decreased during the pandemic.

The findings showed that menstrual disorders were more common during the pandemic than before (27.6 per cent versus 12.1 per cent). The participants generated worse scores on a questionnaire based on sexual function during the pandemic compared with scores before the pandemic, the study said.

"Sexual desire and frequency of intercourse significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas quality of sexual life significantly decreased," the study authors wrote.

"The pandemic is associated with the decreased desire for pregnancy, decreased female contraception, and increased menstrual disorders," they concluded.