SEXUAL LIFE DURING PREGNANCY AND AFTER CHILDBIRTH:A SURVEY OF 540 WOMEN IN MOROCCO

Aims: To measure the impact of pregnancy and postpartum on the womans sexualityon the womans sexuality and on the couples life by using the measurement tools for less severe maternal morbidity proposed by the WHO in 2018 at the level of the prefecture of Marrakech. Methods:The analysis focused on self-reported and test-diagnosed maternal morbidities in general and sexuality in particular.This study involved 540 pregnant and postpartum women at primary health care facilities. Results: For the two groups of prenatal and postnatal consultation women, the average age was 30 years, the proportion of women having their first child was 14.10% -14.43% in the two urban and rural groups, compared to those with between 2 and 4 children (+76% in both groups). No woman reported a stillbirth. In rural areas (99.01% of CPNs, 97.94% of CPoNs) and in urban areas (98.08% of CPNs, 100% of CPoNs), most women reported being married, compared to only 1.56% in CPNs and 2% in CPoNs. Who said they had no husband. Urban women were the least likely to be illiterate (32.05% in CPN and CPoN against 38.61 in CPN and 51.55 in CPoN, in rural areas). While most women were unemployed (90.66% in CPN and 94.47% in CPoN), the percentage of employed women in urban areas is higher than in rural areas (12.82% in CPN and 8.97% in CPoN, against 3.96 % in CPN and 3.96% also in CPoN). Conclusion:Based on these findings, the approach supports the appropriateness of implementing sexuality measurement in prenatal and postnatal care to improve the quality of care for women and to promote communication and continuity of care. However, time, resource, and coordination constraints must be considered for implementation at the primary care level.