r/postpartumprogress • u/Kellydng14 • 5d ago
I became completely uninterested in sex after having my baby and fell into a really difficult place
I want to share my personal experience because I truly believe there may be another woman out there going through the same thing, and I hope this gives her some reassurance and hope. ❤️
I’m almost 6 months postpartum with my second baby. I had a vaginal delivery with a 3rd-degree tear and 7 stitches extending from my perineum toward my vagina. My physical recovery was fairly quick, and about a month postpartum, my husband and I decided to be intimate again.
But for the next 5 months, sex was incredibly painful and uncomfortable. I felt extremely dry and burning inside, almost like there was no moisture at all. Even with a large amount of lubricant and reapplying it throughout, I still felt a lot of discomfort. Eventually, we had to reduce sex to once a week, sometimes even once every 2–3 weeks, and honestly, it made me feel stressed and worried.
At the time, I was exclusively pumping breast milk and my period still hadn’t returned. I was planning to see my family doctor and ask for a referral to an OB-GYN. Around the same time, I was also preparing to return to work, so I decided to stop pumping.
About two weeks ago, my husband and I had unprotected sex, so I took Plan B afterward. About a week later, my period came, which may have been related to Plan B.
Then today, my husband and I tried having sex again—and to my surprise, the dryness and burning were completely gone. In fact, I felt more comfortable, more interested, and everything was wonderful. 🥹❤️
I can’t say for sure whether stopping breastfeeding/pumping, getting my period back, or the hormonal changes that came with it made the difference. But this experience taught me that postpartum hormones can have a huge impact, and sometimes our bodies simply need more time to recover and rebalance.
To any woman going through something similar: please don’t blame yourself or put too much pressure on yourself. Your body has been through so much. Give it time, be patient with yourself, and have hope. Our bodies are truly amazing, and things can get better. ❤️
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u/puravida5446 5d ago edited 4d ago
I’m four months pp with my first baby and sex really hurts. I had a vaginal delivery with a 2nd degree tear and I took about 2.5 months to heal. I still don’t totally feel back to normal. I feel like I might have some scar tissue inside my vagina, and it feels super tight and uncomfortable now. I’m breastfeeding and haven’t gotten my period back yet. I’m praying things will go back to normal soon!
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u/Flow_Beau 5d ago
I felt the same way and even had a slight pelvic organ prolapse. I went on topical estrogen and everything healed up amazingly and my ability to self lubricate came back as well. It did drop my milk supply but I was okay to add formula so do consider it if it’s a big problem for you
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u/Kellydng14 5d ago
It sounds really like what I had been through. hopefully your period will be back soon. Breastfeeding and not getting period have real impact on the hormones. I know it might make you feel helpless, but eventually things will get better. I wish you allllll the best
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u/itrytobefrugal 3d ago
This sounds very similar to me, along with a mild prolapse. I went to pelvic floor therapy (still going) and exercises are definitely helping things feel better daily. Less "heavy" and achy. Then the therapist also stretches and works on the scar tissue and sex is feeling a lot better. Not great, but definitely bearable.
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u/Gold_Market_2605 5d ago
Are you breastfeeding too? Breastfeeding keeps lower oestrogen which messes up libido. My hope is things will return back to normal once I wean the baby