Postpartum Sexual Abstinence and High Risk Sexual Behaviour Trends in African Settings

Aims: To determine the prevalence of high risk sexual behavior and its relationship to the duration of
coital sexual abstinence in husbands of postpartum women.
Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive study.
Place and Duration of Study: Ikenne Local Government Area, in Ogun State, South Western Nigeria
between, December 2014 and May 2015.
Methodology: Data were obtained with the aid of semi-structured interviewee administered
questionnaire from 771 husbands of postpartum women using the multi-stage sampling technique.
Results: The prevalence of High risk sex in the population was 10.6%. The duration of coital sexual
abstinence was the most important risk factor (P<.001), while previous extramarital sexual
relationship (P<.001, OR=41.70, 95%CI=18.07-96.07) and husband’s knowledge of his own HIV
status (P=.03, OR=1.71) were also significant determinants of this occurrence. Consistent condom
use during unsafe sex was 6.1%, while STIs occurred in 3.7% of the participants. Significantly longer
durations of coital abstinence (8.30 ± 6.24 months) were observed in men who were rural dwellers
than in urban dwelling husbands (7.16 ± 6.01 months), P=.01. Violent behavior against the
postpartum wife during the abstinence period was reported by 1.2% of the participants.
Conclusion: High risk male sexual behavior was a consequence of prolonged postpartum sexual
abstinence and a predisposition to STIs among husbands of postpartum women.