Assessment of the Views of Undergraduate Students about Female Body and Sexual Life in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the views of undergraduate students about the female body and sexual life during pregnancy and the postpartum (PP) period. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 466 students from a public university in the spring semester of the academic year of 2015-2016. The data were collected using a questionnaire. Statistical analyzes included means, standard deviations, percentage distributions and chi-square test Results: The rates of female and male students who stated that pregnancy suits the female body were 56% and 36.1%, respectively. In contrast, the rates of female students who stated that the PP period does not suit the female body were 40.3%. We found similar ratios of female (50.7%) and male (57.9%) students regarding the opinion that pregnancy adversely affects sexual life, which was explained in first options: "Sexual intercourse during pregnancy may harm the baby". The only positive option about sexual life in the PP period was "Incision/episiotomy in the birth canal makes sexual intercourse easier / reduces pain" with participation rates of 85.7% and 16.6% in female and male graduates, respectively. Additionally, vaginal birth, episiotomy and breastfeeding were listed as factors that adversely affect sexual life in the PP period. Conclusion: It was concluded that physical changes in the PP period caused aesthetic concerns for female students, while male students had a more negative attitude towards sexual life during pregnancy, and negative opinions about sexual life in the PP period were widespread among the undergraduate students.