Changes to your body after pregnacy

Since I don't want this blog to be entirely about my crafting and sewing, I will be posting about sexual health and daily randomness that happens at my parties.  I have a lot of customers who have children or are pregnant and I get the same questions from them. 

• My libido dropped after I had the baby, how do I  get it back? 
• Sex is really painful now because I'm not lubricated enough, what can I do about that? 

After the birth of a child, a woman’s body experiences a number of different changes. Some of the changes are due to the pregnancy, and some of the changes are due to the birthing process. Many of the changes will disappear over time.

Hormonal Changes
A decrease in estrogen following childbirth and during breastfeeding can cause various changes to a woman’s body. Her vaginal lining may thin or become irritated during sexual activity. Both of these changes can make penetration during sex painful.

Hormones released during sexual activity can actually help the uterus return to its normal size and position following childbirth. This may be encouraging for women who are eager to begin sexual activity.

Vaginal Dryness
After pregnancy you could experience vaginal dryness as a result of the decreased levels of estrogen in your body. Women who are breastfeeding also experience vaginal dryness. For some women, vaginal dryness can last up to six months.

Use a water-based vaginal lubricant during sexual activity for your added pleasure, comfort, and safety. Try Just Like Me, Sweet Seduction or Pure Silk. All three products are gentle and non-irritating.

Less Intense Orgasms
Because the vaginal muscles stretched during childbirth and pregnancy, you may experience less intense orgasms for the first few months. To help this, perform Kegel exercises regularly to help restore the elasticity to your vaginal muscles and tissues.

To aid in the performance of Kegel exercises, try Pure Romance’s Ben Wa Balls, which are inserted vaginally. Ben Wa Balls help locate the correct muscles used during Kegel exercises.

Loss of Desire
Fatigue, stress, or worry about becoming pregnant again can cause a woman to temporarily lose her desire for sexual activity. This is completely normal. Most women regain their sexual desire after a few months. If you find that you are still experiencing desire issues after a long period of time, talk to your health care provider, who can develop a plan to help overcome these issues.

A heightener, or arousal cream, can help increase a woman’s sexual arousal. Pure Romance’s topical arousal creams (Ex-T-Cee, Nympho Niagra, and X-Scream) are applied to the clitoris and draw blood to the genitals, helping to increase libido and sexual desire.

Changes to Vaginal Tissues
Because of the trauma of childbirth, a woman’s vaginal tissue may have become strained, bruised, or torn, making sexual activity uncomfortable. A woman may find that clitoral stimulation is preferred over vaginal stimulation for sometime following childbirth. It is important to note that because of possible tearing of the vaginal tissues, oral sex is not recommended on a woman following childbirth. This could lead to infection of the tissues or a more serious consequences.

Over time, the vaginal tissues will heal on their own. To help with the healing process, it is important to maintain vaginal health before and after pregnancy and delivery. A healthy diet, exercises (including Kegel exercises), using a vaginal moisturizer (such as Fresh Start) and/or water-based vaginal lubricant (such as Just Like Me or Sweet Seduction), and engaging in plenty of foreplay can help restore the vaginal tissue and muscles to their pre-pregnancy condition.

Breast Changes
Many women experience a growth in breast size following pregnancy. This can be very exciting and pleasurable for a woman and her partner. If a woman is breastfeeding, though, she may find that her breasts are too sensitive or over stimulated and may want to avoid any touching or breast stimulation. This should pass with time, though, and as breastfeeding is decreased. Some women find that as they become sexually aroused or that during orgasm their breasts may expel milk, which is normal. Some women and their partners find pleasure in this experience, while others are uncomfortable with it. If it is bothersome, women can wear breast pads during sexual activity to avoid this potentially embarrassing situation.

*It is important to note that women must wait for their doctor’s approval before resuming sexual intercourse. This will allow their body enough time to heal following their pregnancy. For most women, they must wait at least six weeks following childbirth before having intercourse again

New study published on the use of lubricants during intercourse

The Center for Sexual Health Promotion at the Kinsey Institute partnered with Pure Romance to conduct the largest study ever completed on the use of lubricants during sex which was recently published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.  As a Pure Romance consultant, it's very exciting to learn that we are helping to contribute to women's sexual health research, something that sadly is little information on. 

More than 2400 women participated in the study which found that the use of both water and silicone based lubricants was associated with higher ratings of pleasure and satisfaction during sex (as compared to no lubricant). The study also found that also found that study participants reported fewer genital symptoms  -- and, in particular, fewer reports of genital pain -- when they used a water-based lubricant.

Here are some of the findings:

• More than 70 percent of the time that lubricant was used for vaginal or anal intercourse, study participants indicated that they did so in order to make sex more pleasurable; more than 60 percent of women indicated this was the case during masturbation.*
• More than one third of the time that lubricant was used for vaginal sex, anal sex or masturbation, women indicated that they used lubricant because it was fun to do so*
• Sizable proportions of women also indicated that they chose to use lubricant in order to reduce the risk of tearing, particularly for anal intercourse.*

Many women have vaginal dryness and they might think that they produce enough natural lubrication, however, this is not the case.  If you smoke, are pregnant, stressed, going  through menopause, taking medications (like anti-histamines) or use tampons, your body is probably not producing enough lubrication.  And that's OK! It doesn't mean that something is wrong with you, it doesn't mean you are not aroused. It just means your brain has 10 million other things it's doing and it doesn't want to produce lubrication.


When you use a lubricant on a regular basis make sure you are using one that is gentle, odorless, colorless, & tasteless. The more you add to a lubricant,the greater your chances are of getting infections. Especially if you are sensitive and are already prone to yeast infections, you don't want to irritate your vagina any more than necessary. 

Three of Pure Romance lubricants were used in the study, Just Like Me, Pure Pleasure, & Sweet Seduction.  You can read more in the Indiana University press release here or in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. 

*findings taken from IU press release.