Sex during Pregnancy: Opinions, Attitudes and Practices among Pregnant Women

Abstract

Background: Sexuality during pregnancy varies from culture to another. No study on this issue has been carried yet out in the Mossi plateau in Burkina Faso. Aim: To examine the opinions, attitudes and sexual practices among pregnant women in the city of Ouagadougou city. Methods: we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional survey in 10 health centers. The pregnant women attending the obstetric health facilities for a routine prenatal consultation were interviewed. Data was collected prospectively from 1st July to 31st August 2014 in 10 health centers selected at random. Results: Among the 412 pregnant women who participated in the survey, 31.3% said that sex was a taboo subject and 94.2% of them averred that it was possible to have sex during pregnancy. There are 121 (29.4%) pregnant women who believed that sexual intercourse has a negative impact on pregnancy. Those who thought that sex does not have negative consequences on pregnancy accounted for 60.4% of cases. The proportion of respondents who reported having had sex during pregnancy was 90%. The average weekly sexual intercourse during pregnancy was 1.1 ± 0.4 as opposed to 2.4 ± 0.5 before pregnancy. Decreased sexual desire was reported by 75.1% of women in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. This proportion was 3.4% in the 2nd trimester and 66.7% in the 3 rd trimester. In the 1st trimester, 76.3% of pregnant women reported a decrease in the frequency of orgasm. This rate was 67.7% in the 3rd trimester. Conclusion: The fluctuations in sexual interest during pregnancy have been observed. For a better sexual fulfilment during pregnancy, health providers must ensure a good counseling about sexuality during the antenatal cares.