Childbirth is a unique experience in a woman’s life, facing tremendous physical and emotional changes, while talk may be focused on what happens to the body and mind during pregnancy and childbirth, an important aspect that deserves more attention and research is libido after birth.
In this article we will talk about libido after birth, and what sexual changes occur in a woman after birth?
Libido after birth
The birth of a child does not mean ending the sex life of the partners, but after the birth hormonal changes may occur in the body that make a woman unable to have sex until about a year after the birth, and the fact that there is no reason to increase her libido after the birth but often vice versa decreases in many women after the birth in The first 4- 6 weeks is that most women feel fatigue and pain due to dramatically reduced levels of estrogen and progesterone, as a result of which many women feel less sexual desire and experience pain during intercourse.
Factors of reduced libido after birth
After we know that there is no reason to increase libido after birth, let’s find out what causes the decrease in libido after childbirth:
- Feeling physically exhausted after childbirth, which is accompanied by caring for the baby greatly and when the mother finds a moment for herself away from physical contact with the child does not think about sex but about rest and deep sleep.
- Dramatically changing hormones after childbirth, as hormonal changes after childbirth can make the mother feel unbalanced in the postnatal period due to low estrogen production leading to dry vagina, all of which makes a woman feel physically unprepared for sex.
- Lack of self-confidence and body form after childbirth, as a woman’s body changes and varies after childbirth. A woman is embarrassed and distrustful, resulting in her abstinence from sex.
- Women who give birth to a caesarean are worried about having sexual intercourse after childbirth for fear that it will be painful for them and are not motivated to practice intimacy and therefore their libido decreases.
- After giving birth, a woman may suffer from postpartum depression, a psychological and mental illness that affects 1 in 8 new mothers. One of its symptoms is the lack of interest in activities that usually concern her, which may include sex. Moreover, the high interest in childcare can make it difficult to obtain the mood required for intimacy after childbirth.
If you suffer from postnatal depression, you should consult a specialist psychiatrist for help to ensure a happy married life with your partner.
Tips for increasing libido after birth:
- Talk to your partner: Women talk to their partner about their pain and disturbances in this period and about their needs, as well as their preferences for sex during this period. Men also talk to their partner about their needs and agree on how to satisfy their libido in a mutually satisfactory manner. The lack of talk about each other’s needs is the origin of problems and disagreements.
- Reconnect with yourself: By organizing your time between a new child and a marital relationship with a partner, think about yourself and your priorities, think about what restores your activity to you either by going out with friends or engaging in new activities, and remember that sex also helps to improve mood.
- Exercise relaxation: Relaxing exercise, such as yoga and meditation, greatly helps to reduce stress and improve mood, which helps increase libido.
- Spend happy time with your partner: It is not necessary to return immediately after giving birth to have sexual intercourse but you can start spending some of your happy time as a TV viewer together, eating your favorite food, going out together on a romantic date.
- Talk to a specialist psychiatrist: Speaking with a specialist helps you recover easily and steers you towards the right way to ensure a healthy marital relationship with your partner.
If your sexual desire does not improve and this affects your sexuality with your partner, you can communicate with Dr. Mona Reda, a psychiatrist and sexual therapist to ensure more stable mental and sexual health.
Resources:
Is it normal to have no interest in sex after having a baby?
