Sexuality after Childbirth: A General Population Study in a Municipality in South of Benin in 2023

Introduction: Despite the importance of daily sexual health, issues related to postpartum sexual health are rarely addressed during pregnancy follow-up and even in the postnatal period by healthcare providers. Pregnancy and childbirth cause significant hormonal, morphological, psychological, and behavioral changes in women. The objective of this study was to describe the postpartum sexuality of women in the municipality of Abomey-Calavi. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with data collection taking place over one month. The study population consisted of women who had given birth and were residing in the municipality at the time of the study. Women with a permanent partner who were between 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum were included. A three-stage (3) cluster sampling design was conducted. Data were collected using a digital questionnaire. Results: This study included 1,500 women who had given birth. The mean age was 27.3 ± 5.3 years. Of these, 92.3% had successfully monitored their pregnancy, but only 17.7% had received information from healthcare providers about postpartum sexuality. During the study, 59.1% of them had resumed sexual intercourse. The mean time to resume sexual intercourse was 11.4 ± 5.9 weeks. In our sample, 8.8% had adopted a method, and for 75% of them, having contraception was a condition for resuming sexual intercourse. Resumption of sexual intercourse was initiated by the partner in 57.1% of them. Partner satisfaction and maintaining harmony within the couple were the main reasons for resuming intercourse for 68.9% and 51.2% of women, respectively. A sexual function disorder was found in 73.5% of women who gave birth by caesarean section and in 77.6% of women who gave birth vaginally using the Index of Female Sexual Function score. Conclusion: Women in the municipality of Abomey-Calavi received very little information from healthcare providers about postpartum sexual health. There is an urgent need to raise awareness among healthcare professionals about the importance of information sessions on sexual health, mental health, and contraception during women’s follow-up.