Are men adequately involved in maternal healthcare?

The importance of male to women´s sexual and reproductive health promotion was officially recognized by International Conference on Population and Development. Increase male involvement may therefore improve maternal health and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to appraise the involvement of men in antenatal, labour and postpartum care services in different regions of the world. Information was obtained through electronic literature search conducted in Pub Med, Medline, and Google scholar, using the following search terms in combination, from 1st January 1992 to 31st December 2015: Male involvement, Maternal healthcare, Nigeria, Developed countries, Developing countries. All relevant peer-reviewed English language articles and publications were identified, retrieved and reviewed. Major findings from the review were analyzed and presented in text. The findings indicated that while there was high level of male involvement with consequent beneficial effects in maternal health in England and USA, the levels of involvement of men in developing nations such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Africa are variable with cultural and socioeconomic factors affecting them. The differential level of male involvement in maternal healthcare across different regions of the world underscores the need for health providers and policy makers to evolve couple-centered and male-friendly healthcare services, and also modify factors found to influence male involvement so that maternal health may be improved.