Sex life diminishes after baby, study finds
While 51% of mothers who took part in the Maternal health and maternal morbidity in Ireland (MAMMI) study said they were “very satisfied” with their sex life before they got pregnant, the figure had dropped to 24% 12 months post-partum.
The number who reported themselves “moderately satisfied” increased in the same timeframe, from 35% pre-pregnancy to 43% a year after giving birth.
Despite the various difficulties the women reported, 65% had resumed sexual activity during the first three months after birth and another 26% had resumed within three to four months.
A higher percentage expressed a lack of interest in sex a year after giving birth (39%) compared to 31% pre-pregnancy. Just 5% of women said they had more interest in sex 12 months post-partum.
Early findings from the sexual health aspect of the study show women suffer from a range of problems, including lack of vaginal lubrication, painful penetration, and difficulty reaching orgasm both pre-pregnancy and at three, six, nine, and twelve months after the baby is born.
Specifically, the study found the number of women affected by vaginal dryness rose in the three months after birth, from one third of women pre-pregnancy to 43% after birth.
By the end of the first year after the baby was born, fewer women were affected, and the figure dropped back to 35%.
Painful penetration affected 23% pre-pregnancy. Three months post-partum, the figure had jumped dramatically to 44%. However, by the end of year one, fewer women were affected (19%) than pre-pregnancy.
The number of women experiencing pain during sex almost doubled at three months (39%) compared to the numbers pre-pregnancy (22%). At 12 months post-partum, however, this health issue had improved considerably, with 15% experiencing pain.
Difficulty reaching orgasm seemed to be less of an issue a year after giving birth. Before pregnancy, almost one third of women (32%) reported difficulty. This fell to a quarter of women a year post-partum.
MAMMI, a longitudinal study launched in March 2015 and conducted by Trinity College Dublin, is the first in Ireland to examine the health and wellbeing of first-time mothers over a period of time.
Deirdre O’Malley, who is overseeing the sexual health aspect of the study, said some of the sexual issues self-resolved with time. “These may not be ‘problems’ or sexual ‘dysfunction’, but could be normal changes to intimate relations after the birth of the first baby,” she said.
Ms O’Malley, a midwife and Health Research Board research fellow at Trinity, said her priority is to “get the information [from the study] out there so women can recognise what changes are normal after childbirth, and what changes are not, and to know when to get help if a problem persists”.
Women who take part in the study — approximately 1,500 recruited across three maternity sites including the Rotunda, the Coombe, and University Hospital Galway — answer questions specific to their sexual health and intimate relationship at five time points: Early pregnancy, and at three, six, nine, and 12 months after the birth.
To view the survey’s preliminary findings, presentations, and publications, please visit the website www.mammi.ie
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