The COVID-19 pandemic considerably influenced internet search behavior related to sexual and reproductive health in Nigeria, with increased interest in sexual violence, emergency contraception, erectile dysfunction, and pornography, alongside decreased search interest for contraception, abortion, and STIs.
Key Findings
Results
Online interest in rape-related queries, specifically 'how to rape', increased during the COVID pandemic compared to the pre-COVID period.
Data were analyzed using Google Trends search volume index (SVI) from October 1, 2018, to August 1, 2021
The pre-COVID and COVID periods were divided at March 1, 2020
The overall SVI for rape decreased during the pandemic, but the rising query 'how to rape' increased
SVI for COVID was negatively correlated with rape overall (Spearman's rank-order correlation, p < 0.05)
Authors interpreted the rising query as suggesting increased intent of rape during the pandemic
Results
The search volume index for pornography increased during the COVID pandemic, and COVID SVI was positively correlated with porn SVI.
Google Trends SVIs were compared using Mann-Whitney U test between pre-COVID and COVID periods
Spearman's rank-order correlation showed a positive association between COVID SVI and porn SVI (p < 0.05)
The SVI for 'sex' was unaltered during the pandemic
Authors associated increased porn consumption with broader changes in sexual and reproductive health behavior during the pandemic
Results
Search interest in emergency contraception, specifically 'postinor', increased during the COVID pandemic.
The overall SVI for contraceptive decreased during the pandemic compared to the pre-COVID period
Despite the overall decrease, the rising query 'postinor' (an emergency contraceptive) increased during COVID
COVID SVI was negatively correlated with contraceptive SVI (Spearman's rank-order correlation, p < 0.05)
Authors interpreted this pattern as suggesting increased need for emergency contraception during the pandemic
Results
Search volume indices for contraceptive, abortion, STI, and erectile dysfunction all decreased during the COVID pandemic compared to the pre-COVID period.
Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare mean SVIs between pre-COVID and COVID periods (p < 0.05)
COVID SVI was negatively correlated with SVIs for rape, contraceptive, abortion, STI, and ED
The decrease in overall search volume may reflect reduced access to or engagement with formal health services during lockdowns
Data covered Nigeria from October 1, 2018, to August 1, 2021
Results
Rising queries for STI self-diagnosis ('what is sti', 'meaning of sti') and erectile dysfunction self-management ('what is erectile dysfunction', 'erectile dysfunction treatment') increased during the COVID pandemic.
Despite overall decreases in STI and ED SVIs, specific rising queries related to self-diagnosis and self-management increased
Authors interpreted this as indicating incident STI, self-diagnosis of STI, incident ED, and self-management of ED increased during the pandemic
The pattern suggests a shift toward self-directed health information-seeking rather than formal healthcare utilization
Google Trends rising queries represent search terms with the most significant increase in search frequency during the specified period
Methods
The study employed an infodemiological methodology using Google Trends to analyze sexual and reproductive health search behavior in Nigeria across pre-COVID and COVID periods.
Data were extracted from Google Trends for Nigeria from October 1, 2018, to August 1, 2021
Selected search terms included: sex, porn, rape, contraceptive, abortion, sexually transmitted infections, STI, erectile dysfunction, and ED
Extracted data included SVI for the top queried state, most populated state, rising queries, and top queries
Mann-Whitney U test compared mean SVIs between periods; Spearman's rank-order correlation assessed associations with COVID-19 SVI
P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant; SPSS statistical package was used
What This Means
This research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic had a notable impact on how Nigerians searched the internet for information related to sexual and reproductive health. By analyzing Google search trends from late 2018 through mid-2021, the researchers found that while overall searches for topics like contraception, abortion, STIs, and erectile dysfunction declined during the pandemic, there were simultaneous increases in very specific searches — such as how to commit rape, emergency contraceptive pills (postinor), and self-diagnosis and self-treatment of STIs and erectile dysfunction. Searches for pornography also rose, and the increase in COVID-19 search activity was statistically linked to higher porn searches and lower searches for formal reproductive health services.
These patterns paint a complex picture of how a major public health crisis can ripple into sexual and reproductive health behaviors. The decline in searches for routine reproductive health services (like contraception and STI information) may reflect disrupted access to healthcare during lockdowns, while the rise in searches for emergency contraception and self-diagnosis suggests that sexual health needs continued — people may simply have been attempting to manage these issues on their own. The increase in searches framed around rape intent is particularly concerning and may point to elevated sexual violence risk during pandemic-related confinement.
This research suggests that public health authorities should pay close attention to online search trends as real-time signals of changing health behaviors during crises. The findings highlight the need for targeted sexual and reproductive health education and accessible services during and after events like the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly around sexual violence prevention, emergency contraception access, and STI management in Nigeria and similar settings.
Akhigbe R, Hamed M, Adeyemi D, Akhigbe T. (2026). Sexual and reproductive health consequences of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: an infodemiological survey.. Scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38746-7