OBJECTIVE:

Review current status of knowledge about the association between female surgical sterilization and sexual dysfunction in women.

METHODOLOGY:

Retrospective study based on a literature search of articles published in English and Spanish in PubMed, LILACS, MEDLINE and EBSCO databases between 1990 and 2022. Articles with cohort, observational, case-control, systematic literature reviews, clinical trials and meta-analyses were selected.

RESULTS:

We obtained 50 articles of which 38 were excluded due to duplicity, language other than English or Spanish, unrelated to the specific topic or not complete. In the end, 12 articles that met the criteria for review were included.

CONCLUSIONS:

The association between surgical sterilization and female sexual dysfunction has been widely discussed, but little studied. The available trials are observational conducted in diverse sociocultural contexts, with contradictory outcomes and methodological limitations. The results obtained vary according to the sociocultural context and the role of women in the society being studied, the religious beliefs and level of schooling. More studies with better methodological quality are needed to establish more precise recommendations and thus have an impact on women's sexual health.