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Abstract Background Dyspareunia is defined as the occurrence of pain during or after sexual intercourse, which directly affects physical, sexual, and mental health. This condition can lead to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in women who experience it. Objectives The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions for the treatment of female dyspareunia. Design A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Method Search of publications was conducted in Scopus, Medline, Pubmed, Cinahl and Web of Science. Treatment effects were defined as standardized mean difference and their 95% confidence intervals. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using Crohan's Q test and quantified using the I2 index. Results Of the 19 articles selected, six applied multimodal physiotherapy treatments; five, electrotherapy; three, Thiele's massage; two, interdisciplinary interventions or pelvic floor muscle training; and one, extracorporeal shockwave therapy. The meta-analysis showed significant results for the variables pain and quality of life with the interventions based on electrotherapy and electrotherapy combined with pelvic floor muscle training. These interventions did not show significant results for the improvement of sexual function. Conclusions Physiotherapy techniques are effective and procedures have been identified with reliable results in improving pain and quality of life in patients with dyspareunia. One of the most important aspects is the strengthening of the perineal musculature and the application of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. Furthermore, manual trigger point release therapy and Thiele massage, optimize and guarantee the reduction of pain intensity. Prospero registration CRD42021236155.

Background The lack of instruments to assess the level of physical activity in pregnant women, led to the development of the PPAQ (Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire), a self-administered questionnaire, which has already been translated in several countries and has already been used in several studies. Aim(s) Translate and adapt the PPAQ into Portuguese and test its reliability and validity. Methods An analytical observational study was carried out. Linguistic and semantic equivalence was performed through translation and back-translation and content validity was tested by a panel of experts. To test reliability, a test-retest was performed on a sample of 184 pregnant women, with an interval of 7 days and the ICC was used. To test the criterion validity, Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was used between the PPAQ and the accelerometer, in a sample of 226 pregnant women. Findings The questionnaire was considered comprehensive. The ICC values of Reliability were: total score (0.77); sedentary activities (0.87); light-intensity activities (0.76); moderate-intensity activities (0.76); vigorous-intensity activities (0.70). For criterion validity was obtained a coefficient correlation of r = -0.030, considered weak and negative, for total activity. Discussion This study describes the translation and validation process of the PPAQ questionnaire from English to Portuguese. The final version of the PPAQ was considered as a valid instrument in terms of content to measure physical activity and was referred to as being simple to apply and easy to understand. Conclusion The PPAQ has content validity, excellent reliability and weak criterion validity, as in the original version.