The Effect of Education and Employment on Sexual Activity after Childbirth

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between educational level, employment status and sexual activity after delivery. The study was conducted on 286 women with experience of vaginal delivery who completed the questionnaire about age, education, employment, and health status for themselves and partners. Time of the first intercourse and its frequency in the first year after childbirth was observed. Relationship between the variables observed was explored by using multiple linear regression. The mean pregnancy duration was 39 weeks. The mean age of participants was 29.9 (16 to 44) years. Most women had high education (n=170, 59.4%), 114 (39.9%) had secondary, and 2 (0.7%) had primary educational level. Although there were significant differences in the time of the first intercourse and maternal educational level (p=0.013872), partner’s employment status (p=0.007403) and maternal age (p= 0.01107), as well as differences in the frequency of intercourse in the first year following delivery and partner’s educational level (p=0.016929), multiple correlation coefficients indicated a very weak correlation. According to study results, the correlation of educational level, employment status and sexual activity after childbirth is weak.

Keywords

• Childbirth
• Sexual activity
• Intercourse
• Socioeconomic factors