On the eighth episode of Vodafone Healthline series, health professionals have debunked the assertion that ladies cannot have sexual intercourse after childbirth until the baby is six-months-old.
Senior Physician Specialist Dr Aba Folson explained that the only time health professionals give advice that women should wait for a period of time before engaging in sexual intercourse after giving birth is when they could not deliver naturally and had to undergo surgery.
“During caesarean sections, you have penetration through the abdominal wall and the uterus which creates a wound; so that wound is supposed to heal, and if you do not restrain from activities or gymnastics that will put pressure on it, the wound will not heal properly and in some instances become more serious.
“In order not to trigger a situation like that, medical professionals advise the women to avoid all stressful activities, including sexual intercourse, for about six weeks or so then you can gradually start all those gymnastics; but when in a situation where the woman was delivered naturally, after a week or two it is appropriate to have sexual intercourse,” she said.
Taking his turn, General Practitioner Dr Kwekuma Yalley indicated that pregnancy is sometimes complicated and women go through a lot of struggle to ensure the safety of the baby, especially first-time mothers.
As such, they sometimes feel reluctant to engage in sexual activities soon after birth; therefore, the male partner must put forth a supporting hand to release the new mother from some of her duties – offering her space to relax and put herself in the mood for any sexual activity.
“To refrain from sex for six months after birth due to medical reasons is rare, and so other factors that are not making sex appealing to her must be considered and dealt with appropriately.
“If the baby is giving her so much stress, the man can come in and help her handle the baby. Ultimately, if it is a vaginal delivery, as soon as the woman is ready the couple can have sex even after just one week without facing any future health complications,” he said.
Subsequently, the host of Vodafone Healthline, Frema Asiedu, revealed that it is a policy in some private health facilities that first-time mothers must undergo episiotomy unless the person is willing to undergo a caesarean section.
Commenting on this, Dr Yalley, advised pregnant women who visit facilities with such policies to reject and question the basis on which they want to perform an episiotomy without any crucial medical grounds.
In this episode, the Healthline team travelled to Tokor-Afloa in the Volta Region to rescue 43-year-old Mawunyo Dzikunu and her husband Christopher Dzikunu, who since her marriage in 2004 has had several miscarriages without ability to give birth.
Mr Dzikunu narrated that when they experience the first miscarriage about six months after marriage and visited a health centre in Akatsi, it was revealed that he had a problem of low sperm count and the wife also had a newly developing fibroid.
“Because of financial challenges, we resorted to herbal treatments instead of medical health treatment; but after some time, we went to a hospital again, and my wife was told that now the fibroid has matured and needs to be removed or else she would suffer other health challenges,” he said.
He added further that considering his financial situation, he sought the help of a brother who then reached out to Vodafone Healthline – and God was kind to them, as Vodafone had compassion on them and came to their aid.
Mrs Dzikunu after the aid from Vodafone said, “When Vodafone Healthline officials arrived, I was filled with so much joy and I knew God had answered my prayers through them. I and my husband continue to thank Vodafone and say God bless them”.
