After a couple has a baby, their sexual health often suffers. Many women report that they experience a significant shift in their sex drive, and that they often do not feel like making love for a period of weeks, if not months, after the birth of a baby.
Now, research has shown that the well-being and wellness of men may also be affected after the birth of a baby, with many new dads reporting that their sex drive also takes a hit. Experts claim that many new dads feel sidelined after the birth of a baby, and this shift in family politics can lead to them feeling anxious about renewing their sex life with their partner.
The study looked into the sexual behaviour and enjoyment in 114 couples who had new babies, looking particularly at the first few months following on from the childbirth.
Researchers have claimed that around one in every five new dads do not go back to making love with their partner for over three months following the birth of the baby, whereas one in three go straight back to making love within six weeks, and another one in three go back to having sex between seven and twelve weeks after the birth.
When asked about their reasons for the delay, some men said that they were concerned that their partners had been physically strained by the process of childbirth, and that they did not want to hurt them and were worried that lovemaking would be painful for them.
Lack of time was also cited as a reason for many new fathers not making a move on their wife in the early months, as many men claimed to be suffering from fatigue and exhaustion in the early days after the birth of a baby.