Labor and delivery (13)
- Inducing labor: When to wait, when to induce
- Labor pain: Weigh your options for relief
- Home birth: Know the pros and cons
- see all in Labor and delivery
Postpartum care (7)
- Weight loss after pregnancy: Reclaiming your body
- Sex after pregnancy: Set your own timeline
- Postpartum care: What to expect after a vaginal birth
- see all in Postpartum care
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Sex after pregnancy: Set your own timeline
What about birth control?
Unless you're hoping to become pregnant right away, sex after pregnancy requires a reliable method of birth control — even if you're breast-feeding. Initially, barrier methods such as condoms and spermicides can be useful. If you're breast-feeding and prefer hormonal birth control, it's important to select a method that won't decrease your milk supply, such as the minipill. Ask your health care provider about birth control options before having sex or during your postpartum checkup.
What if I'm too tired to have sex?
Caring for a newborn is exhausting. If you're too tired to have sex at bedtime, say so. This doesn't mean your sex life has to end, however. Consider making love early in the morning or while your baby naps.
What if I'm not interested in sex?
That's OK. There's more to an intimate relationship than sex, especially when you're adjusting to life with a new baby. If you're not feeling sexy or you're afraid sex will hurt, share your concerns with your partner. Also share your feelings about your new roles as parents.
Until you're ready to have sex, you can maintain intimacy in other ways. Spend time together without the baby, even if it's just a few minutes in the morning and after the baby goes to sleep at night. Share short phone calls throughout the day or occasional soaks in the tub. Look for other ways to express affection. Rekindle the spark that brought you together in the first place.
If communicating with your partner doesn't help, be alert for signs and symptoms of postpartum depression. If your mood is consistently low, you find little joy in life or you have trouble summoning the energy to start a new day, contact your health care provider.
What can I do to boost my sex drive?
Most sexual problems that women experience after pregnancy resolve within a year. In the meantime, concentrate on ways to promote your physical and mental health. For example:
- Set reasonable expectations as you adjust to parenthood.
- Appreciate the changes in your body.
- Eat healthy foods, and drink plenty of fluids.
- Include physical activity in your daily routine.
- Rest as much as you can.
- Ask your partner, family and friends for help.
- Join a support group for new moms.
Remember, taking good care of yourself can go a long way toward keeping passion alive.
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- Recovering from birth. The National Women's Health Information Center. http://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/childbirth-beyond/recovering-from-birth.cfm. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Handa V. Sexual function and childbirth. Seminars in Perinatology. 2006;30:253.
- Baksu B, et al. The effect of mode of delivery on postpartum sexual functioning in primiparous women. International Urogynecology Journal. 2007;18:401.
- Pastore L, et al. Postpartum sexuality concerns among first-time parents from one U.S. academic hospital. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2007;4:115.
- Frequently asked questions: Depression during and after pregnancy. The National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.4women.gov/faq/depression-pregnancy.cfm. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Sexuality and sexual problems. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp072.cfm. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Getting in shape after your baby is born. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp131.cfm. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Birth control pills. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp021.cfm. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- De Judicibus MA, et al. Psychological factors and the sexuality of pregnant and postpartum women. The Journal of Sex Research. 2002;39:94.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb 4, 2010.
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