Background: Available evidence suggests that most female lower genital tract injuries are primarily of coital origin and may result in death where prompt diagnosis and treatment is not obtained. Yet there is paucity of recent reports on this clinical entity from our setting.
Methods: This was a retrospective study of the service delivery records of patients with coital trauma seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital over 5 years.
Results: The incidence of coital trauma was 0.7% of the total gynaecological patients (3,300) seen within the study period. Majority (52.2%) of the patients were nulliparous. A significant proportion (73.9%) of the patients were single and 82.2% had primary or no formal education. Coital laceration occurred in sexual intercourse with boyfriends in 39.1% of patients and casual sex partners in 30.4% of cases. Non-consensual sex was reported in 47.8% of the patients and 39.1% had consensual sex. Sex was pre-marital in 65.2% of the cases. Inadequate or lack of foreplay was a significant predisposing circumstance to coital trauma (56.5%). Pain was a presenting symptom in 60.9% of cases, and same proportion of patients had laceration > 4cm.
Conclusion: The incidence of coitally associated trauma was low. Nulliparity, low levels of education, non-consensual and premarital sex with little or no foreplay were strongly correlated with the risk of coital trauma. Severe forms of intra-peritoneal complications were not documented in this series. Management strategies were quite adequate.