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Original Article

Women’s experiences of sex and intimacy after childbirth: making the adjustment to motherhood

, &
Pages 185-190 | Received 07 Jun 2012, Accepted 08 Aug 2012, Published online: 13 Sep 2012

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Read on this site (9)

E. L. Kelley, D. Sheyn, A. Hijaz, S. A. Kingsberg & R. J. Pope. (2023) Sexual Function and Help-Seeking Behaviors following Childbirth: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 49:3, pages 331-341.
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Alexandre Faisal-Cury & Alicia Matijasevich. (2021) The relationship between decline of the sexual life and postpartum depression among women with antenatal depression. Sexual and Relationship Therapy 36:2-3, pages 285-295.
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Rachel A. Ollivier, Megan L. Aston & Sheri L. Price. (2020) Exploring postpartum sexual health: A feminist poststructural analysis. Health Care for Women International 41:10, pages 1081-1100.
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Emily A. Impett, James J. Kim & Amy Muise. (2020) A communal approach to sexual need responsiveness in romantic relationships. European Review of Social Psychology 31:1, pages 287-318.
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Miguel Fuentealba-Torres, Denisse Cartagena-Ramos, Lucia A. S. Lara, Josilene D. Alves, Antônio C. V. Ramos, Laura T. Campoy, Jonas B. Alonso, Lucila C. Nascimento & Ricardo A. Arcêncio. (2019) Determinants of Female Sexual Function in Breastfeeding Women. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 45:6, pages 538-549.
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Melissa H. Manley, Melissa M. Legge, Corey E. Flanders, Abbie E. Goldberg & Lori E. Ross. (2018) Consensual Nonmonogamy in Pregnancy and Parenthood: Experiences of Bisexual and Plurisexual Women With Different-Gender Partners. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 44:8, pages 721-736.
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Natalie O. Rosen, Kristen Bailey & Amy Muise. (2018) Degree and Direction of Sexual Desire Discrepancy are Linked to Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Transitioning to Parenthood. The Journal of Sex Research 55:2, pages 214-225.
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Natalie O. Rosen, Kayla Mooney & Amy Muise. (2017) Dyadic Empathy Predicts Sexual and Relationship Well-Being in Couples Transitioning to Parenthood. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 43:6, pages 543-559.
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Articles from other publishers (47)

Julia Donarska, Julia Burdecka, Wanda Kwiatkowska, Anna Szablewska & Agnieszka Czerwińska-Osipiak. (2023) Factors affecting for women’s sexual functioning after childbirth-pilot study. European Journal of Midwifery 7:Supplement 1.
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Yanchi Wang, Qian Gao, Jin Liu, Feng Zhang & Xujuan Xu. (2023) Translation and validation of the Chinese version of the maternal postpartum stress scale. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 23:1.
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Su Rou Low, Suzanna Awang Bono & Zaireeni Azmi. (2023) The effect of emotional support on postpartum depression among postpartum mothers in Asia: A systematic review. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry 15:2-3.
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Sayuri Yasuno, Yoko Takeishi, Yasuka Nakamura, Mikako Yoshida & Toyoko Yoshizawa. (2023) Influence of Marital and Coparenting Relationships on Depressive Symptoms in Parents Raising a Preschool Child未就学児を養育中の親のうつ症状に対するコペアレンティングと夫婦の愛情関係の影響. Journal of Japan Academy of Nursing Science 43:0, pages 174-182.
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S. Barandon, L. Castel, C. Galera, J. van der Waerden & A.-L. Sutter-Dallay. (2023) Women's quality of life and mental health in the first year after birth: Associated factors and effects of antenatal preventive measures among mothers in the ELFE cohort. Journal of Affective Disorders 321, pages 16-27.
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Kristin D. Mickelson & Kristen MarcussenKristin D. Mickelson & Kristen Marcussen. 2023. Gender and the Transition to Parenthood. Gender and the Transition to Parenthood 49 83 .
Ushma D. Upadhyay, Diana Greene Foster, Heather Gould & M. Antonia Biggs. (2022) Intimate relationships after receiving versus being denied an abortion: A 5‐year prospective study in the United States. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 54:4, pages 156-165.
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Stella Gurreri, Maude Lachapelle & Natacha Godbout. (2022) Associations between parenthood, relationship, and sexual satisfaction in sex therapy patients. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality 31:2, pages 176-184.
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M. Naveiro Fuentes, R. Benito Villena, R. Naveiro, M. Heredia Sánchez, L. Cámara Roca & J. Fernández Parra. (2022) Evaluación de la salud sexual femenina en la consulta de Ginecología. Clínica e Investigación en Ginecología y Obstetricia 49:3, pages 100768.
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E. Wawrziczny, K. Doba & P. Antoine. (2022) Validation de la version française de l’échelle de satisfaction sexuelle. Psychologie Française 67:1, pages 17-29.
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Esther Delgado-Pérez, Isabel Rodríguez-Costa, Fernando Vergara-Pérez, María Blanco-Morales & María Torres-Lacomba. (2022) Recovering Sexuality after Childbirth. What Strategies Do Women Adopt? A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19:2, pages 950.
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Georgette Spiteri, Rita Borg Xuereb & Eileen Kaner. 2022. Perspectives on Midwifery and Parenthood. Perspectives on Midwifery and Parenthood 15 26 .
Esther Delgado-Pérez, Maria José Yuste-Sánchez, Yolanda Pérez-Martín, Vanesa Abuín-Porras & Isabel Rodríguez-Costa. (2021) New Motherhood Concepts, Implications for Healthcare. A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18:24, pages 13118.
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Deirdre O’Malley, Agnes Higgins & Valerie Smith. (2021) Exploring the Complexities of Postpartum Sexual Health. Current Sexual Health Reports 13:4, pages 128-135.
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Emilie Wawrziczny, Jean‐Louis Nandrino, Emilie Constant & Karyn Doba. (2021) Characterizing the determinants of sexual dissatisfaction among heterosexuals: The specific role of dyadic coping. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 62:5, pages 763-773.
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Paul Lokubal, Clara Calvert, Simon Cousens, Marina Daniele, Rasmané Ganaba & Veronique Filippi. (2021) Investigating the effect of relationship satisfaction on postpartum women’s health-related quality of life in Burkina Faso: a cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Open 11:9, pages e048230.
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Lucia Alves da Silva Lara, Sandra Cristina Poerner Scalco, Andréa Cronemberger Rufino, Stany Rodrigues Campos de Paula, Eduardo Siqueira Fernandes, Joice Martins de Lima Pereira, Siglia Sousa de França, Sheila Reis, Suzane Beirão de Almeida, Fabiene Bernardes Castro Vale, Théo Lerner, Yara Maia Villar de Carvalho, Carmita Helena Najjar Abdo & Flávia Fairbanks Lima de Oliveira. (2021) Management of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women in the gynecological setting. Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics 43:05, pages 417-424.
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S. Behzadipour, M. Daneshpour, N. Damreihani & L. Aflatooni. (2021) Sexual satisfaction and intimacy during pregnancy and after childbirth. Sexologies 30:2, pages e111-e117.
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Yu-Jeong Jeong, Ju-Hee Nho, Hye Young Kim & Ji Young Kim. (2021) Factors Influencing Quality of Life in Early Postpartum Women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18:6, pages 2988.
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Magdalena Zgliczynska, Monika Zasztowt‐Sternicka, Katarzyna Kosinska‐Kaczynska, Iwona Szymusik, Dominika Pazdzior, Aneta Durmaj, Magdalena Szlachta, Paweł Bartnik & Miroslaw Wielgos. (2020) Impact of childbirth on women's sexuality in the first year after the delivery. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research 47:3, pages 882-892.
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Lidia Pardell-Dominguez, Patrick A. Palmieri, Karen A. Dominguez-Cancino, Doriam E. Camacho-Rodriguez, Joan E. Edwards, Jean Watson & Juan M. Leyva-Moral. (2021) The meaning of postpartum sexual health for women living in Spain: a phenomenological inquiry. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 21:1.
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Farzane Karimi, Raheleh Babazadeh, RobabLatifnejad Roudsari, Negar Asgharipour & Habibollah Esmaily. (2021) Comparing the effectiveness of sexual counseling based on PLISSITand BETTER models on sexual selfdisclosure in women with sexual problems after childbirth: A randomized trial. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research 26:1, pages 68.
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Wendy Brodribb, Glenda Hawley, Ben Mitchell, Ann Mathews & Irena Zakarija-Grković. (2020) Face-to-face health professional contact for postpartum women: A systematic review. Women and Birth 33:6, pages e492-e504.
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Meghan A. Rossi, Jessica A. Maxwell & Natalie O. Rosen. (2020) Biased Partner Perceptions of Women's Pain Self-Efficacy in Postpartum Pain During Intercourse: A Dyadic Longitudinal Examination. The Journal of Pain 21:9-10, pages 1047-1059.
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Fabiana Monteiro, Marco Pereira, Maria Cristina Canavarro & Ana Fonseca. (2020) Be a Mom’s Efficacy in Enhancing Positive Mental Health among Postpartum Women Presenting Low Risk for Postpartum Depression: Results from a Pilot Randomized Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17:13, pages 4679.
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Yasemin Cava-Tadik, Geoffrey L. Brown & Sarah C. Mangelsdorf. (2019) Fathers’ Satisfaction With Physical Affection Before and After the Birth of a New Baby: Cross-Parent Effects and Associations With Family Dynamics. Journal of Family Issues 41:4, pages 415-436.
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Mahboobeh Asadi, Mahnaz Noroozi & Mousa Alavi. (2020) Factors affecting women's adjustment to postpartum changes: A narrative review. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research 25:6, pages 463.
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Elena Serrano Drozdowskyj, Esther Gimeno Castro, Elena Trigo López, Inés Bárcenas Taland & Carlos Chiclana Actis. (2020) Factors Influencing Couples’ Sexuality in the Puerperium: A Systematic Review. Sexual Medicine Reviews 8:1, pages 38-47.
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Regina P. Lederman & Karen L. WeisRegina P. Lederman & Karen L. Weis. 2020. Psychosocial Adaptation to Pregnancy. Psychosocial Adaptation to Pregnancy 261 295 .
Meghan A. Rossi, Kayla M. Mooney, Yitzchak M. Binik & Natalie O. Rosen. (2019) A Descriptive and Longitudinal Analysis of Pain During Intercourse in Pregnancy. The Journal of Sexual Medicine 16:12, pages 1966-1977.
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Deirdre O'Malley, Valerie Smith & Agnes Higgins. (2019) Women's solutioning and strategising in relation to their postpartum sexual health: A qualitative study. Midwifery 77, pages 53-59.
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Iram Fatima, Burhan Ud Din Abbasi, Sharifullah Khan, Majed Al‐Saeed, Hafiz Farooq Ahmad & Rafia Mumtaz. (2019) Prediction of postpartum depression using machine learning techniques from social media text. Expert Systems 36:4.
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Ellie A. McDonald, Deirdre Gartland, Hannah Woolhouse & Stephanie J. Brown. (2018) Resumption of sex after a second birth: An Australian prospective cohort. Birth 46:1, pages 173-181.
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Deirdre O’Malley, Agnes Higgins, Cecily Begley, Deirdre Daly & Valerie Smith. (2018) Prevalence of and risk factors associated with sexual health issues in primiparous women at 6 and 12 months postpartum; a longitudinal prospective cohort study (the MAMMI study). BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 18:1.
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Sally Johnson. (2018) “I see my section scar like a battle scar”: The ongoing embodied subjectivity of maternity. Feminism & Psychology 28:4, pages 470-487.
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Miguel Fuentealba-Torres, Denisse Cartagena-Ramos, Juan Carlos Sierra, Lúcia Alves Lara, Sérgio Pires Okano, Thaís Zamboni Berra, Luana Seles Alves, Ana Carolina Andrade Biaggi Leite, Mellina Yamamura, Isília Aparecida Silva, Lucila Castanheira Nascimento & Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio. (2018) What are the factors that contribute to the development of sexual dysfunction in breastfeeding women? A systematic scoping review protocol. BMJ Open 8:8, pages e022863.
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Sóley S. Bender, Edda Sveinsdóttir & Hilda Fridfinnsdóttir. (2018) “You stop thinking about yourself as a woman”. An interpretive phenomenological study of the meaning of sexuality for Icelandic women during pregnancy and after birth. Midwifery 62, pages 14-19.
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Amy Delicate, Susan Ayers & Sarah McMullen. (2018) A systematic review and meta-synthesis of the impact of becoming parents on the couple relationship. Midwifery 61, pages 88-96.
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Susan M. De Luca, Yan Yueqi, Daley DiCorcia & Yolanda Padilla. (2018) A longitudinal study of Latino and non-Hispanic mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptoms and its association with parent-child communication. Journal of Affective Disorders 227, pages 580-587.
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Amy Muise, James J. Kim, Emily A. Impett & Natalie O. Rosen. (2017) Understanding When a Partner Is Not in the Mood: Sexual Communal Strength in Couples Transitioning to Parenthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior 46:7, pages 1993-2006.
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C. de Pierrepont, V. Polomeno, L. Bouchard & E. Reissing. (2016) Que savons-nous sur la sexualité périnatale ? Un examen de la portée sur la sexopérinatalité – Partie 2. Journal de Gynécologie Obstétrique et Biologie de la Reproduction 45:8, pages 809-820.
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Hannah Woolhouse, Rhonda Small, Kirsty Miller & Stephanie J. Brown. (2015) Frequency of “Time for Self” Is a Significant Predictor of Postnatal Depressive Symptoms: Results from a Prospective Pregnancy Cohort Study. Birth 43:1, pages 58-67.
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Deirdre O'Malley, Agnes Higgins & Valerie Smith. (2015) Postpartum sexual health: a principle-based concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing 71:10, pages 2247-2257.
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H Woolhouse, D Gartland, F Mensah & SJ Brown. (2015) Maternal depression from early pregnancy to 4 years postpartum in a prospective pregnancy cohort study: implications for primary health care. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 122:3, pages 312-321.
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M.-H. Colson. (2014) Sexualité féminine et étapes de la parentalité. Gynécologie Obstétrique & Fertilité 42:10, pages 714-720.
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Hannah Woolhouse, Ellie McDonald & Stephanie J. Brown. (2014) Changes to sexual and intimate relationships in the postnatal period: women’s experiences with health professionals. Australian Journal of Primary Health 20:3, pages 298.
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EA McDonald & SJ Brown. (2013) Does method of birth make a difference to when women resume sex after childbirth?. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 120:7, pages 823-830.
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