Frecuencia del coito y calculo del numero de meses de proteccion por pareja en ocho paises latinoamericanos

Abstract

Calculating the average duration of the protection afforded by different family planning methods requires the use of reliable estimates of the frequency of coitus in the subject population. In the past, such information was unavailable in Mexico, Central America, Panama, and the Caribbean. The authors of this study together conducted surveys of women patients of private family plannig clinics to determine the frequency of coitus and associated factors. Random sampling procedures were used to assemble data on 4 332 nonsterile women presenting a family planning units in Mexico, countries of Central America, Panama, and the Caribbean. These data yielded a mean of 7.8 sexual acts a month. It was fond that this frequency declined among interviewees over 35 years of age and when their partners were over 45. Women living permanently with one companion (regardless of the legal status of the union) had coitus more frequently. No relationship was found between frequency of coitus and educational level or the contraceptive method employed