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Sexual
Activity & Contraception |
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Just like your sex life during pregnancy, your sex life after pregnancy is up to personal preference, and cannot be predicted. Most of the time, your provider will recommend that you wait at least a month after birth to resume having sex—many practitioners still recommend six weeks. Of course, this depends on your body’s healing process—if you still experience pain, or if you still have lochia, you should wait until your body is ready before having sex. The timeframe is up to each individual’s body, and it may take longer or shorter than six weeks. The general recommendation of six weeks is the average time it takes for your uterus to resume its pre-pregnancy position. Sex before this repositioning will increase your chance for infection. When your provider tells you it’s okay to start having sex again, the results may be disconcerting, or they may be great. Some women feel that their libido and ability to enjoy sex after birth is diminished for a while. The constant preoccupation with the infant is only one cause of many, including physical exhaustion, experiencing pain, milk leakage, hormones and fear of pain or damage. Some women feel the complete opposite, and are very into sex after giving birth, namely because of an engorged vaginal region. Either way, you can expect it to take some time for your sexuality to be “back to normal.” Communicate with your husband or partner and don’t panic or get frustrated, just be patient and make sure your partner understands what you’re going through. During postpartum, you might want to resume use of birth control to postpone a repeat performance of what you just went through. Talk with your provider about the best method for you, most will prescribe a low-dose pill that can be used while you’re breastfeeding. You will need to get refitted for a diaphragm if that is what you prefer, and a condom is a safe option. If you are breastfeeding, you shouldn’t resume your birth control pill until after you are finished lactating. Talk with your provider about other options. Click below to read about related topics.
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