It is a known fact that women lack interest in sex after childbirth. But a new research claims that even men experience low sexual drive after the birth of a child.
The research conducted on 114 couples found that the behavior of the partners changed after childbirth. The reasons cited were stress, lack of time and the baby's sleeping habits.
For the study, the researchers asked participants about their level of sexual desire and how often did they get physically intimate after three months of childbirth. The results showed that one-third of couples had sex within six weeks after childbirth. It also found that one-third of partners said they indulged in oral sex within six weeks following birth.
The researchers also found that factors like vaginal bleeding and breastfeeding were pretty much insignificant while assessing sexual desire in new parents. They found that emotional factors overrode physical factors and thus lowered sexual desire.
"People typically presume that hormonal changes or, more controversially, 'messy vaginas'...explain birth mothers' lack of sexuality, and that co-parents can't wait to be sexual," said study researcher Sari van Anders, an assistant professor of psychology and women's studies at the University of Michigan. "Our present research demonstrates that co-parents also experience variations in sexuality that relate to the very real social and relational changes that occur with having a baby."
"Our results point to the need to look at a broader set of postpartum sexual experiences than just decreased desire or infrequent sex," said van Anders.
