60% of pregnant women may have sexual difficulties - Experts say

A study by a group of researchers has revealed that six out of every 10 women experience sexual difficulties during pregnancy.

Prenatal care providers have therefore been advised on the need to develop protocols to assist in screening for, identifying, and managing expectant mothers with sexual dysfunction to improve sexual health in pregnancy.

According to the researchers, sexual difficulties are rife among the pregnant population, studied at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, with its occurrence increasing with the advancement in pregnancy.

The study included 124 women pregnant with single babies that had cohabited with their partners for at least four weeks prior to recruitment.

Findings reveal that 60.5 per cent of the respondents had sexual dysfunction.

“Considering the public health importance of sexual dysfunction and the ‘preference’ for ‘suffering in silence’ in our setting, prenatal caregivers should be aware of this problem.

"Guidelines for screening, identifying, and managing women with sexual dysfunction should be developed and adhered to.

“Misconceptions regarding the role of sex and labour facilitation should be addressed with research and evidence-based health education,” they said.