Determinants of pain during intercourse postpartum: Evidence from Lebanon

Background: Recent studies point to a general change in the sexual relationship postpartum and to the commonality of experiencing pain during intercourse. Aim: This study describes women's reports of pain during intercourse postpartum, their health care seeking behavior, and the associated factors. Methods: This paper utilizes data from a cluster randomized controlled trial testing the effect of using prenatal sessions to mobilize women and enable them to use effective communication and negotiation skills to demand changes in maternity care. For the purpose of this paper, the achieved sample of 269 women was used in the analysis, representing the pooling of women allocated to the intervention and the control groups together. Data were entered and analyzed using the SPSS software. The chi-square statistics and stepwise logistic regression were used for analysis. Results: Pain during intercourse was reported by 59% of women with 72.3% not seeking professional care. The problem's onset was the postpartum period for 40.5%. Primiparous women (OR=2.44; p-value=0.000), those from the southern regions of Lebanon (OR=1.25; p-value 0.006), and those having had c-section (1.96; p-value=0.049) were significantly more likely to report pain during intercourse postpartum. Conclusion: Researching postpartum sexual morbidity in developing country settings is imperative to add on our understanding of women's experiences of ill-health and the implications this has on the provision of services and support.