Background:Postpartum sexual abstinence until when the child is weaned from breast milk is deeply rooted in most cultures in Nigeria.Aim:The study aimed at describing the current sexual practices of postpartum women, sexual morbidity, contraceptive prevalence and predictive factors for early postpartum sexual intercourse and associated sexual problems in our setting.Subjects and Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted among consecutive 340 women at a child welfare clinic 14 weeks after childbirth. Questionnaires were administered between January 2012 and June 2012 to ascertain their socio-demographic and obstetric features, sexual activity, time to coital resumption, reasons for resumption and non-resumption of intercourse, sexual problems encountered and contraceptive usage. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS version 16 for windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Results:Sexual intercourse was resumed by 67.6% (230/340) of women with a mean time to resuming intercourse of 8.2 (2.9) weeks postpartum and a median time of 8.0 weeks. About 3.5% (8/230) did so within the puerperium. Sexual intercourse was initiated mainly (77.4% [178/230]) by their husbands and only 19.1% (44/230) of them were using modern contraceptives. About 62.6% (144/230) of women experienced sexual morbidities including vaginal dryness/insufficient lubrication, dyspareunia and vaginal discharge. Socio-demographic and obstetric features, menstrual and breastfeeding status were not predictive of early resumption of coitus. Vaginal delivery (OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.3-10.0, P = 0.01,) and previous episiotomy (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 2.0-6.1, P = 0.04,) were predictive of sexual morbidity.Conclusion:Women in our setting resume sexual intercourse early after childbirth without the use of contraception and often with associated sexual morbidity. Emphasis on sexual and contraceptive education during the immediate postpartum period is therefore imperative.
The prevalence of GDM was relatively high among our antenatal population. Women with previous history of fetal macrosomia have a higher likelihood of having GDM and should be screened.
Background: In the precent study, firm evidences indicate that folic acid supplementation during the peri-conceptional period reduces the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects. Aim: To ascertain the level of awareness about folic acid, its use during peri-conceptional period and the predictive factors of folic acid awareness among pregnant women in our setting. Subjects and Methods: Confidential, anonymous questionnaires were administered to consecutive 543 pregnant women seeking routine antenatal care at Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos between January and June 2012. Questions included enquiry on their demographic features, obstetric history, pregnancy intention, awareness and intake of folic acid during the peri-conceptional period, and knowledge of its natural sources. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression to identify predictive factors of folic acid awareness were then performed. Results: Out of 543 pregnant women surveyed, 64.6% (351/543) reported that they were aware of folic acid as a vitamin supplement. However, only 7.4% (26/351) consistently took the vitamin during the protective periconceptional period. The common sources of information about folic acid were health workers (68.5%) and the media (14.6%). Only 26.5% (93/351) of them could correctly identify a natural source of food rich in folic acid. Multivariate logistic regression showed that maternal age >30 years (P=0.01) and higher educational status (P=0.001) were predictive factors for folic acid awareness. Conclusion: Folic acid awareness as a vitamin supplement was relatively high among the women surveyed but its intake during peri-conceptional period was worryingly low. Antenatal and Population health educational strategies and fortification of staple foods with folic acid may improve its intake among women of child-bearing age in our setting.
Background: Malaria has been a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria parasitaemia among pregnant women is associated with adverse maternal and fetal complications. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among asymptomatic women at booking and to ascertain their packed cell volume (PCV) at
Following obstetric fistula repair, many women experienced difficulty engaging in penetrative vaginal intercourse and reported sexual dysfunction. Management of sexual dysfunction should be part of fistula rehabilitation programs.
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