Both parents experience highs and lows in sexuality after childbirth

ANN ARBOR-Partners of new mothers often experience shifts in sexuality, and these shifts can be unrelated to biological or medical factors pertaining to childbirth, according to a University of Michigan study. The findings, which are published in a recent issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, expand current understanding of postpartum sexuality. Research on postpartum sexuality has typically focused on female reproductive biology in birth mothers-for example, how hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding affect sexual desire, or how birth-related interventions affect sexual activity. Few studies have looked at sexuality in the partners of women after childbirth, even though it may be important for postpartum women's perceptions of their own sexuality. "Our research demonstrates that, like birth mothers, fathers and co-mothers experience sexual highs and lows during the postpartum," said lead author Sari van Anders, U-M assistant professor of psychology and women's studies. Van Anders and her colleagues examine the sexuality among 114 partners (95 men, 18 women and 1 unspecified) of postpartum women. They completed a retrospective online questionnaire about their sexual activity and experiences during the three months following their youngest child's birth.