Does sexuality in pregnancy influence the baby? Myths, attitudes and knowledge of mothers

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a period of psychological and physiological changes which affect several aspects of womens lives, namely their sexuality. Cultural and educational factors may also play an important role in sexual activity during this period. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the repercussion of pregnancy on sexuality and possible related factors as well as information on this subject and sources of information reported. Methods: We conducted a cohort study at the Maternity of a University Hospital. A standard questionnaire was applied to 475 women between 24 and 48 hours postpartum, on predetermined week days. Variables studied included socio-demographic aspects, pregnancy, type of delivery, newborn and sexual behaviour. The statistical packages STATA and SPSS were used. Results: The majority of women (59%) report a change in their sexual life during pregnancy, which was related to age (p=0,002) and education (p=0,001), but not to other socio demographic factors. No correlation was found between sexual activity during pregnancy and gestational age at delivery or birth weight. Regarding information we noted that 53,9% of the women had knowledge about sexuality during pregnancy and that 36,4% referred to media as their main source of information on this subject. Conclusion: We consider that healthcare professionals involved in perinatal care should be more active informing pregnant women about sexuality during pregnancy in order to help them to adopt healthier life styles in this period.