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Medical Video: When is it okay to have sex again after having a baby?
In general, you and your partner may return to having sex within three to six weeks after giving birth. However, every woman has a different level of readiness about sex after giving birth. Some have sex six weeks after giving birth and don't complain of anything. On the other hand, there are also those who have just gone up to bed again after two months but still feel uncomfortable - due to fatigue being a new mother, for example, or a vagina that is too tight due to changes in the hormone of breastfeeding.
But for some women, having sex after a caesarean section can be painful for several months even after getting a green light from a doctor. What is the reason?
Why can sex after a caesarean section be painful?
A new study published in BJOG, an international journal around obstetrics and gynecology, shows that women who undergo caesarean section experience more pain during sex in the first 18 months after giving birth.
This study did not prove caesarean section as the sole cause of pain during postpartum sex. But Dr. Arun Gosh from the Liverpool Spire One clinic believes that a caesarean section can make sex more painful for a number of different reasons.
Post caesarean section, the uterus that had contracted and enlarged will return to its original size. During this recovery process your uterus may be injured so you are more at risk of forming scar tissue around the uterus. You are also more susceptible to infection because the cervix becomes very dilated after giving birth, which makes it an easy entrance for bacteria to infiltrate the uterus - although this may occur only in a few cases that can count fingers.
There are also hormonal problems that you might face after a caesarean section. For mothers who give birth normally, the body will drain all the hormones that have accumulated during pregnancy. This drastic hormonal change can then cause anorgasmia, which means you cannot orgasm regardless of any stimulation you receive in the vaginal area.
But this does not mean mothers who undergo a caesarean section are free from the same problem. After a caesarean section, your body's hormonal balance is not naturally restored so your chances of experiencing orgasmic difficulties will be even greater. Changes in hormones also make the vagina feel dry after giving birth. A dry vagina during childbirth can make penetration painful.
In addition, sex after a caesarean section can risk you reopening surgical sutures. For some women, several months old stitch marks still hurt when moving, rubbing, or touching something. So, sex can be a little difficult if you still feel pain.
Not that you have to "fast" make love after a caesarean section
Post caesarean section, it's normal if sex the first time you do it may not feel as comfortable as usual. This is normal for all mothers who have just given birth - regardless of the method of labor you are taking.
This change does not mean you have to be totally absent from sex. And besides, "The sex life of most women returns to normal after giving birth," said Idries Abdur-Rahman, M.D., a certified obstetrician, at Self.
If you feel an inconvenient discomfort so you cannot have sex after a caesarean section even after six to eight weeks, consult your doctor to determine whether your body has recovered properly.
In the meantime, you can work around this by using sex lubricants, increasing the time for foreplay, and trying to be more relaxed with your partner, not too much to force yourself to have sex. Also know that your body will recover naturally as usual as time goes on.
