The perinatal period can present unique sexual health challenges for new and expecting parents.
This can have a significant impact on their overall mental health and wellbeing, as well as their relationship with themselves and each other.
In a recent PANDA survey, parents reported they wish they’d been more aware of potential challenges with their sexual health and wellbeing post-birth, and they would like to have been provided with more information to prepare their body for these changes.
Parents reported that many healthcare providers only discussed sex with the mother/birthing parent or not at all.
Starting a conversation about this aspect of the perinatal journey can be an important step for healthcare providers to support both the sexual and mental health of both parents.
“I wish healthcare providers asked about my sexual health! I was never asked about my sexual health during any of my six pregnancies.”
Barriers to seeking help
We know that new and expecting parents often don’t reach out about their sexual health and the impact it’s having on their mental health due to:
- Embarrassment
- Shame
- Lack of time
- Exhaustion
- Waiting for a healthcare provider to start a conversation about sexual function post-birth
- Feeling dismissed when they’ve tried to raise concerns previously
- Feeling that sex is a taboo topic to be raised with a healthcare provider
- Trauma and mistrust in healthcare providers after a traumatic birth
- Lack of awareness that support is available
- Accepting that it’s just something you must put up with after having a baby.
(PANDA survey 2025)
“I felt my experience of discomfort and otherness in my own body was utterly dismissed”
“After the birth of my son, I was unable to tolerate vaginal penetration (and this continued for 8 years). I was referred to a gynaecologist who said there was no physical reason why I shouldn't be able to tolerate vaginal sex. It wasn't until I spoke to a counsellor who specialises in sex therapy that I was diagnosed with vaginismus, secondary to post-traumatic stress disorder, resulting from an extremely traumatic pregnancy and birth experience.”
How to support new and expecting parents
Simply starting a conversation around sexual health and wellbeing can make a positive difference for parents during their perinatal journey.
In our survey, parents reported they’d like healthcare providers to dedicate more time to discussing sexual wellbeing after birth and to ask more questions to prompt deeper responses.
Healthcare providers can help by:
- Starting a respectful conversation about sexual health
- Including non-birthing partners in the conversation to discuss the future after birth and possible challenges that might arise
- Asking new and expecting parents about their sexual health
- Taking sexual health and discomfort seriously
- Taking a kind, gentle, understanding approach
- Learning more about the range of physical, emotional, and medication-related changes that can impact sexual wellbeing for new and expecting parents
- Providing helpful referrals to healthcare providers and services.
(PANDA survey 2025)
“I wish someone had noticed/diagnosed my postnatal depression earlier, and that someone had spoken to me about how birth trauma can impact this and make post-traumatic stress disorder worse again. I also wish someone had told both me and my partner that just because you can have sex again six weeks after a c-section, you shouldn't automatically expect sex to resume again six weeks after a c-section, and that instead, we could focus on other non-vaginal intimacy for a while first.”
Topics to consider
New and expecting parents would like to have been provided information about:
- Awareness of potential challenges
- Antenatal information to help prepare.
- The relationship between mental health and sexual health.
- Preventative care for pelvic floor health.
- Pelvic floor recovery.
- A roadmap to discussing changes that are likely to be experienced
- Sexual activity during pregnancy
- Experiencing sexual pleasure in pregnancy
- Building back intimacy in the postpartum period
- Programs to follow throughout pregnancy to prepare body for postpartum.
- Sexual activity during pregnancy
(PANDA survey 2025)
“Nothing I've done with healthcare providers even touched on this, and I also didn't really expect it. Most of my own feelings and knowledge stems from my own experiences and reading”
Not knowing the sexual health challenges often faced during the perinatal period can lead to mental health challenges for many new parents. It’s important for healthcare providers to initiate conversations around perinatal sexual health and wellbeing to provide proactive education and support.
Free short course: Sexual health and wellbeing in the perinatal period
This course will take approximately 45 minutes.
By completing the course, you will deepen your understanding of common changes to sexual health and wellbeing in the perinatal period, understand the relationship between mental health and sexual health and wellbeing, increase your skills in starting conversations about sexual health and wellbeing with the parents you support and know when and where to refer families for additional support.