Sex Drive Varies Depending on Childbirth

Health professionals generally advise to avoid having sex for some time after childbirth. But a latest study shows that both men and women have high and low sex drives depending on the baby's birth.

The researchers stated that these changes are associated to social factors related to raising an infant rather than any physical changes that occur due to giving birth.

For the study, the researchers examined the information provided by 114 partners of women who had given birth in the past seven years. The respondents answered various questions about their level of sexual desire and engagement of sexual activity three months after birth.

According to the study results, nearly one-third of couples engaged in sexual intercourse just within six weeks of childbirth. It further found that one-third of partners said they performed oral sex on the birth mother within six weeks of the delivery.

The study clearly shows that good number of people engage in sex just after childbirth before the recommended period. "Our research suggests that individuals are engaging in a range of sexual behaviors before that," said study researcher Sari van Anders, an assistant professor of psychology and women's studies at the University of Michigan, via Live Science. 

The researchers also found that the variation in the sex drive in both partners was influenced more by social factors like stress, fatigue and sleeplessness rather than the physical changes like bleeding and vaginal tears. "Our present research demonstrates that co-parents also experience variations in sexuality that relate to the very real social and relational changes that occur with having a baby," van Anders said.

For those who have been experiencing a low sex drive, Counselor Ian Kerner suggests:

"I recommend couples engage in nonsexual physical intimacy all the time. Hold hands, cuddle, sit next to each other. And be sexual a minimum of once a week. When you're sexually intimate once a week, you're staying connected and committing to intimacy."