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The birth of a child causes many upheavals in the life of the parents: much less hours of sleep, time for oneself, and energy to have intimate relationships. But don’t worry, if the parents of young children say they have half as many reports as before, more than 80% of them are still “satisfied with their sex life”.
Having a child means spending a lot of time changing it, rocking it, feeding it… Since the time in a day is not extendable and the energy of the human being is limited, it remains for young parents much less time for other occupations, such as making love, for example. In any case, this is shown by a study carried out by Ifop for the site Sleepyz.fr.
A resumption of sexual activity that varies over time
Generally speaking, almost all couples (92%) resume sexual activity after the arrival of a child. But it can take time sometimes. Indeed, if nearly a quarter of respondents explained having resumed sexual activity with vaginal penetration within three weeks, a third still waited more than 7 weeks.
The age of the respondents seems to play a role: the youngest, 18-24, are also those who wait the shortest, 5.8 weeks on average, against 8.4 for parents aged 35 to 49.
Fewer reports for half of respondents
A birth inevitably upsets the habits of the parents, who are 76% to recognize it. There are also fewer reports, sometimes because of the very presence of the child. Indeed, for fear of waking up their child, 56% of parents have already given up making love and 54% have abandoned this project for fear of being caught in the act.
Frankly reduced libido too
If it is not always the conditions that block the act of making love, it can simply be a lack of desire. The libido fluctuates enormously and it can be boosted but also really affected by the arrival of a baby.
Among the reasons for low libido, fatigue comes first, for 92% of mothers and 86% of fathers. For many women, changes in their body (weight gain, decrease in vaginal sensations, etc.) also represent a brake.
More dissatisfaction among women
According to this survey, one in two women say they have “avoided sex” because they were not comfortable with their body. One in five respondents also agreed to have vaginal intercourse after childbirth to please their partner, but without really wanting it.
Moreover, 80% of respondents also express the fact of feeling less desirable in the eyes of their partner and 76% report pain during vaginal penetration. So many problems that create tension within the couple, which can be added to previous differences and can cause a breakup. According to the survey, more than half of French people questioned by Ifop have “already wanted to break up with the mother or father of their last child“, and 16% are “acted out“.