Hi, Chels, I'm so glad you found us at Empowher. Let's see what we can find out for you.
First of all, please know that there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all. It is very, very common for a woman's sex drive to be low after having a baby. You are not at all alone in this. Here are two threads where many women are experiencing the exact same thing:
And a 9-month-old keeps you busy!!! Are you still working? Those two things on their own are enough to affect anyone's sexual desire.
I would like to tell your boyfriend that telling a woman that he's going to leave if she isn't suddenly more interested in him is not going to help. In fact, it's probably going to do exactly the opposite. Sexual interest is not something that we have total control over. It is partially our hormones, sometimes our medications, and sometimes stress. But it's also mental. When we feel safe, loved, and understood, we can relax about how our sex drive is. When we feel on the spot, edgy, fatigued and pushed, we cannot relax, and it works against us.
Is he the baby's father? Does he help you with the baby, sharing the load and responsibility of the household? Is this important to you?
Are you still breastfeeding? This also plays a role in your lack of sexual interest.
Is it possible you are suffering from postpartum depression? PPD is a medical condition that sometimes happens within the first few months after childbirth. It is caused by the biochemical and hormonal changes that happen in the body after pregnancy and birth. It's not something you have control over. Here are a couple of resources that talk about PPD:
The symptoms of PPD can include loss of sexual interest as well as:
Mood swings
Anxiety
Sadness
Irritability
Crying
Decreased concentration
Trouble sleeping
Are you experiencing any more of these symptoms?
Let's talk about Implanon -- is this the birth control you are using? It's spelled slightly differently so I want to be sure. How long ago did you have it implanted?
The website for Implanon says that the most common side effect is irregular bleeding. It is a progestin-only birth control method, so it does affect your hormones. They also list the following side effects: mood swings, weight gain, headache, sleep problems, acne, and depression.
Here's the complete patient information sheet for Implanon:
This is a lot of information; does any of it seem more true for you than the rest of it? I would be glad to do more research for you if one particular part of it seems relevant to you. Please let us know.
Comment Reply
Hi, Chels, I'm so glad you found us at Empowher. Let's see what we can find out for you.
First of all, please know that there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all. It is very, very common for a woman's sex drive to be low after having a baby. You are not at all alone in this. Here are two threads where many women are experiencing the exact same thing:
https://www.empowher.com/community/ask/lack-sex-drive-having-my-baby-and-i-am-only-24-what-do-i-do
http://www.babycenter.com/400_what-can-i-do-if-my-sex-drive-hasnt-come-back_500285_1000.bc
And a 9-month-old keeps you busy!!! Are you still working? Those two things on their own are enough to affect anyone's sexual desire.
I would like to tell your boyfriend that telling a woman that he's going to leave if she isn't suddenly more interested in him is not going to help. In fact, it's probably going to do exactly the opposite. Sexual interest is not something that we have total control over. It is partially our hormones, sometimes our medications, and sometimes stress. But it's also mental. When we feel safe, loved, and understood, we can relax about how our sex drive is. When we feel on the spot, edgy, fatigued and pushed, we cannot relax, and it works against us.
Is he the baby's father? Does he help you with the baby, sharing the load and responsibility of the household? Is this important to you?
Are you still breastfeeding? This also plays a role in your lack of sexual interest.
Is it possible you are suffering from postpartum depression? PPD is a medical condition that sometimes happens within the first few months after childbirth. It is caused by the biochemical and hormonal changes that happen in the body after pregnancy and birth. It's not something you have control over. Here are a couple of resources that talk about PPD:
https://www.empowher.com/condition/postpartum-depression
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression/DS00546
The symptoms of PPD can include loss of sexual interest as well as:
Mood swings
Anxiety
Sadness
Irritability
Crying
Decreased concentration
Trouble sleeping
Are you experiencing any more of these symptoms?
Let's talk about Implanon -- is this the birth control you are using? It's spelled slightly differently so I want to be sure. How long ago did you have it implanted?
The website for Implanon says that the most common side effect is irregular bleeding. It is a progestin-only birth control method, so it does affect your hormones. They also list the following side effects: mood swings, weight gain, headache, sleep problems, acne, and depression.
Here's the complete patient information sheet for Implanon:
http://www.implanon-usa.com/authfiles/images/543_186950.pdf
And here is the Drugs.com entry for Implanon:
http://www.drugs.com/implanon.html
This is a lot of information; does any of it seem more true for you than the rest of it? I would be glad to do more research for you if one particular part of it seems relevant to you. Please let us know.
May 4, 2009 - 9:55amThis Comment
Reply