Sex should be fun, but it can also be complicated. Welcome to Sexual Resolution , a biweekly column by sex therapist Vanessa Marin answering your most confidential questions to help you achieve a healthy, joyful sex life. Here, she answers a question about hypoactive sexual desire disorder. My partner and I were prepared for the fact that having a baby would bring some major changes to all aspects of our lives, including our sex life, so we went into this eyes wide open. However, my sex drive vanished in my third trimester, and it has yet to reappear. My partner is getting increasingly bummed, too.
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Most women experience considerable sexual changes following childbirth. This is completely normal. In this period, hormone levels change and women experience new emotions, demands and responsibilities as a result of being a mother. This can influence how much women feel like having sex, how often they have it, and how much they enjoy it. Men experience lifestyle changes which can influence their sex drive after their partner gives birth. Changes in sexuality after childbirth are common, but few women discuss them and many have questions about when they should have sex, why they do or do not feel like having sex, and why they experience sex differently after childbirth. Current recommendations are that women need only wait two weeks to resume sexual activity.
6 ways to get your sex drive back after having a baby
Yes, it is. After having a baby, most women experience a decrease in sexual desire for several reasons. First of all, you are undergoing major hormonal shifts and are probably very tired from caring for a newborn. Your body also needs to heal. And depending on the circumstances of your delivery, the healing process can take weeks or months.
After growing a baby and then giving birth, you have accomplished quite a lot, mama. And healing while feeding and caring for your new baby is around-the-clock work. So finding your balance in your new role might not include having sex—even after the 6-week "go-ahead" from your doctor or midwife. You might feel fine about this after all, you have a lot to adjust to , but you might also be thinking, "Nope.