When can I have sex after giving birth? I’ve heard to wait until your six-week doctor’s postpartum visit, but why is that?
––Confused
There is no single time-oriented answer to this question. The broad answer is: when you feel physically and emotionally ready.
Most women who have a vaginal birth have some degree of vaginal tearing or general trauma. It takes time — typically a few weeks — for this to heal. With a cesarean section, there is wound healing, which, again, may take several weeks. There are a lot of other physical experiences of early parenting that may make sex less appealing: you’re not sleeping much, you may be nursing all the time, etc.
Physically, once the vaginal trauma has healed, sex is possible. This may be before six weeks, or it may be after. There is nothing magical about six weeks — at this point, your OB or midwife will check your healing, but you’re likely to be able to tell if things are okay before that.
Six to eight weeks is the average time to resume sex, but the range is wide, and most people do not return to their pre-baby sex frequency for a year or more.
Bottom line: You should wait until you are physically recovered, but beyond that it’s all about when you (and your partner) feel ready.
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