Attitude of married women towards sexual intercourse during pregnancy in Lagos State

Abstract

One of the most important factors in marital satisfaction is the satisfaction of a healthy sexual relationship between spouses but this may decrease due to sexual problems. Therefore, this study investigated the attitude of married women towards sexual intercourse during pregnancy in Lagos State. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised all married pregnant women in Lagos State estimated at 640,000 out of which a total of 200 were randomly selected. A questionnaire tagged “Attitude Towards Sexual Intercourse Questionnaire (ATSIQ”) was used to collect relevant data. The validity and reliability of the instrument were duly established. The data collected were analysed using percentages, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Findings shows that married women have positive attitude towards sexual intercourse during pregnancy. There were significant differences in the attitude of married women towards sexual intercourse during pregnancy in Lagos state on the basis of years in marriage, forms of marriage and stages in marriage but a significant difference was found on age. It was recommended that there should be prior and adequate sex education for sexual partners on sexuality during pregnancy. Marriage counsellors, in conjunction with various health workers should organize seminar, workshop and symposium on sexual intercourse during pregnancy. Marriage counsellors should work with personnel in various ante-natal clinics with the aim of having much contact with pregnant women.

Keywords: Attitude, Married women, Sexual intercourse, Pregnancy