History of Cervical Cancer and Pregnancy Losses as predictors of Abstinence from Sexual Activity among Women in Ghana

Background: Among the numerous reproductive health conditions that affect women; cervical cancer and pregnancy losses stand out due to their significant medical, psychological, and social consequences. These experiences may not only affect a woman’s reproductive capacity but can also alter her perception of sexuality, intimacy, and bodily autonomy. Objective: Given these challenges, the study aimed to investigate whether a history of cervical cancer and pregnancy losses can be considered significant predictors of sexual abstinence among Ghanaian women. Methods: Data for the study were extracted from the 2022 GDHS. It was provided by Measure DHS Program through the link https://dhsprogram.com/data. Frequency distribution, Pearson’s chi-squared test of independence, and binary logistic regression were used to add value to the data. The binary logistic regression was used to determine the effects of history of cervical cancer, and pregnancy losses on women’s abstinence from sexual activity in Ghana. Results: Ever tested for cervical cancer was less significant related to abstinence from sexual activity. Pregnancy Losses was less significant to abstinence from sexual activity. It was revealed that 32889 (94.9%) of women had never been tested for cervical cancer. It emerged that 24876 (71.8%) of the women never experienced pregnancy losses. Conclusion: The findings indicate that these reproductive health experiences could not lead exclusively to sexual withdrawal. The women resumed sexual activity as part of emotional healing and relationship maintenance. Based on this, the study recommends that healthcare providers should make it a priority to strengthen positive post-reproductive health messaging to reassure women that intimacy is not harmful and that it can be part of emotional recovery and may empower them to maintain healthy sexual relationships.