| dc.description.abstract | Background: Resumption of sexual intercourse early after childbirth is a concern to women and their partners as it's associated with dyspareunia, vaginal dryness, bleeding, fatigue and puerperal sepsis. Intercourse resumption and sexual life after childbirth are well documented and several studies are conducted among women but specific experiences and perspectives among men that are known to be initiators of sexual intercourse are not documented and have not been explored.
Aim: To explore men's perspectives and experiences regarding the resumption of sexual intercourse after childbirth in Magogo parish
Methods: This study employed an exploratory research design to explore perspectives and experiences of men about the resumption of sexual intercourse after childbirth. There were three focus group discussions each consisting of 6 men and 13 men for IDIs, conducted to explore perspectives and experiences of men regarding resumption sexual intercourse in Magogo parish, Kakiri sub-county, Wakiso district, Uganda. Purposive sampling method was used to recruit 31 married men participants to involve in the study. The data obtained were analyzed using conventional content analysis.
Findings: Men’s perspectives were categorized and three themes emerged as “timing” related to when, “fears and misconceptions” related to either late or early sex resumption, “Cultural beliefs”. For timing and when, the return of menstruation was thought to be the cardinal indicator of when to resume sex. For fears and misconception, sperms getting stuck leading to blockage of tubes was a fear for delay then ectopic pregnancy was a misconception for early. For cultural beliefs, related to early sex resumption. Men’s experiences were categorized and four themes emerged; “sexual dissatisfaction” that involved dry sex and early ejaculation, “pain and discomfort” that included complaints of pain and bloody discharge “drivers to early sexual intercourse” which involved high demand for sex and woman’s willingness to have sex and “neutral” where some men reported that nothing happened on them.
Conclusion: Men are concerned about the right time to resume sex as they base more on the return of menses and mode of delivery but worried about fears that withholding sex after childbirth may affect their health. There is a need for counseling about resumption sexual intercourse after childbirth which is not widely available to men.
Keywords: experience, perspectives, sexual intercourse, childbirth, resumption | en_US |
