Relationship between Menstruation and Fertility: Perception and Knowledge of Nigerian Women

Background: Cultural and religious bias, myths, taboos and misconceptions about menstruation are rife in many developing countries. Adequate scientific based knowledge about menstruation and its relationship to fertility is crucial in attaining optimal reproductive health. Aim: We evaluated the perception and knowledge of African Nigerian women towards the relationship between menstruation and fertility. Materials and Methods: It was a prospective cross-sectional household survey with multi-staged cluster sampling design in which 230 randomly selected, consenting women in September and October 2012 were assessed about their perception of menopause using a structured questionnaire. Findings: We found that 59% of women thought that if a woman does not menstruate, she definitely cannot have a baby, 24% claimed that women with menstrual pain are likely to have miscarriages, while 21% believed that women with menstrual pain will have delay/difficulty getting pregnant. About 3/4 was of the opinion that it is morally wrong to have sex while menstruating and 76 (33.6%) of the women were of the opinion that women who take medications to stop their period are likely to develop cancer later in life. One-fifth of the women think there is no link between menstruation and family planning. Conclusion: Perceptions and knowledge about menstruation is varied among many Nigerian women, with widespread misconceptions and inadequate knowledge about its relationship with fertility. Universal enlightenment to disabuse the minds of Nigerian women from related myths, taboos and misconceptions is needed to promote reproductive health.