Sexual Dysfunction in the New Father: Sexual Intimacy Issues

Abstract

It appears that there is not a lot in the literature addressing the issue of sexual difficulties that a couple might experience when a woman is pregnant and/or postpartum. In my clinical experience, in the first few months of the postpartum period and especially in the last trimester of pregnancy, it is not unusual for many couples to either decrease their sexual contact or at times abstain depending on circumstances during the pregnancy or in the postpartum period. On the other hand, it is not unusual for the occasional couple to increase sexual contact, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy. It appears in the case of Joe and Elizabeth that the total lack of sexual intimacy within a few months of knowing one another was one of the main factors that led to their eventual sexually dysfunctional relationship. However, there are many other factors to examine that affect sexuality during pregnancy and the postpartum period. In an article by Bitzer and Alder, the authors provided a biopsychosocial framework to understand the interaction between pregnancy, the postpartum period and sexuality. There are many important reasons why an understanding of the impact of pregnancy and postpartum on sexual functioning is needed. Many women do not feel safe having sex during pregnancy as they are afraid of hurting the baby. They are also worried about further complicating the pregnancy, and many experience a general decline in sexual activity. Other women also feel less attractive when they are pregnant, leading to less interest in sexual intercourse. A lot of women continue to be intimate in other ways, but intercourse is often practised less often, and this leads to less sexually content partners.