Sex File: Becoming a dad has killed my libido — I can't talk to my friends about it

Most people are aware that having a baby causes significant hormonal shifts in women, but over the past 25 years, research has explored how parenthood affects men's hormones

Suzi Godson: "We now have a better idea of how long it takes for testosterone levels to recover in new fathers." Picture: iStock 

Is it normal for men to lose interest in sex after having a baby? Our first child is almost six months old and my (gorgeous) wife is up for getting things back on track, but I'm the one whose libido has disappeared. I can't talk to my friends about this because they have the opposite problem.

There are a million different reasons sex stops being a priority when you have a small baby. Lack of sleep, fear, feeling excluded from the intensity of the mother-baby dyad, overwhelm, and existential angst can all have a negative impact on libido. But what you are experiencing is Mother Nature's incredibly clever way of helping you to be a better husband and a better dad.