Sexual Behavior or Married Men during Pregnancy and After Childbirth in Ibu Ian: Evidence from Focus Group Discussions.

Abstract'

Male role and responsibility in reproductive health matters JUIl'1:' become consistent prerequisites to understanding maternal issues generally., Through focus group discussions (FGDs};this. exploratory research investigates sexual behaviour of married men during pregnancy and after birth in .Ibadan Southwestern Nigeria as a way of highlighting the-/inks between these. periods and pregnancy Oil/comes and the health status of couples. The study '. shows lliut sexual behaviour of men is influenced by the interplay of religious, socio-cultural and ideological factors.. The specific results lnclude that: men engage in coitus with their pregnant wives with the upper limit of 4 - months among the Hausa; postpartum sexual abstinence varies in duration with an average of -10 days across cultural settings; one sixth of the respondents agreed engaging in sexual intercourse With other women in order Io- reduce their wives' vulnerability to the risks associated with pregnancy; and while men often use condom to prevent sexually transmitted injections (STIs) from women other than their wives, most married men with established or presumed cases of S'Tl: appear /0 be relatively casual and undiplomatic in handling this issue. These findings suggest that programmes large/edat husbands and their reproductive' health orientation appear necessary to reduce the frequency of STIs (/17£/ other negative reproductive health outcomes among couples.