My friends at Pregnancy and Beyond recently sent me a direct query about my thoughts on sex after pregnancy. Seems inquiring minds want to know.
Here’s what I came up with.
Sex After Pregnancy….Here’s the 411:
Six weeks post delivery, vaginal or c-section, is when a woman typically follows up with her obgyn for her routine, postpartum check. This visit is to ensure that mom is doing well, and has healed appropriately. As long as there are no signs of infection, or vaginal sutures that haven’t completely dissolved, most are cleared to resume sexual activity. Even patients that are status post a c-section can be cleared for sex at this point. Things to consider would be, has the incision completely healed? If you are someone that labored and then ended up with a c-section, has the cervix healed/closed?
Girl on top, girl on the side, girl on all fours, maybe even using the best sex chair that you can find online (learn more at Badum Tish!) to master different positions…all of these are safe modes of intercourse as long as you have been physically cleared by your ob-gyn.
You may want to consider using a heavy lubricant for several reasons. One, the hormones of pregnancy may yet still be in flux. Two, breastfeeding tends to lead to a low estrogen state. Both translate into DRY VAGINA, and hence, painful sex. You could consider looking to buy adult sex toys for extended foreplay to arouse the vagina and lubricate it that way, though that doesn’t mean you should skip out on heavy lubricant.
Patience is a MUST, as your body is certainly different post delivery. Some women feel embarrassed, or ashamed of their post delivery bodies due to weight gain, leaky boobs, c-section scars, etc. Remember, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! Pregnancy is beautiful. Your body was and still is AMAZING! Going with the flow and having an open mind will carry you and your partner far as you both delve into the adventures of sex post baby.
For those of you who can’t seem to wait 6 weeks and are wondering if things like masturbation are safe before you hit that magical mark, I encourage you to keep in mind that tears, lacerations, etc., can occur almost anywhere; i.e., the cervix, the perineum, the labia, the urethra, in, near, or around the clitoral hood. The reason to mention these things is that if there was an insult to the aforementioned areas, you want to give them an adequate amount of time to heal; hence decreasing the risk of wound disruption, as well as infection. As long as the wounds are correctly healed, women, you are free to masturbate to hot sexy men or cute nude girls as you wish!
If none of the aforementioned applies to you and you had no lacerations or tears “down below,” you might entertain external masturbation, i.e., clitoral stimulation, you might even want to see post or one similar in order to excite and stimulate you some more. This could be good practice for when you’re wanting to start having sex again. I would, however, avoid putting anything into your vagina; hands, fingers, toys, etc., until you’ve been cleared by your friendly obgyn. Safety first. The idea here is to decrease the risk of infection. You want the cervix, vagina, etc., to have adequate healing time.
Hoping today’s blog has been informative. Don’t forget the lube and perhaps a glass(or two) of wine!
Until next time,
Look Better. Feel Better. Be Better.
Dr. Angela
