What to expect when you’re expecting: What is the role of perinatal sex education?

By Audrey Chu   This blog is a summary of our published article: Fitzpatrick, E. T., Rosen, N. O., & Dawson, S. J. (2023). What to expect when you’re expecting: Perinatal sexual education is linked with couples’ sexual well-being in pregnancy and the postpartum. Journal of Sex Research, 60(9), 1269-1282. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2193570 The period from pregnancy […]

Changes to sexual function and distress in the transition to parenthood

By Malia Artibello This blog is a summary of our published article: Tavares, I. M., Rosen, N. O., Heiman, J. R., & Nobre, P. J. (2023). Biopsychosocial predictors of couples’ trajectories of sexual function and sexual distress across the transition to parenthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 52(4), 1493–1511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02480-8 The transition to parenthood (pregnancy to […]

“I think she can manage the pain?”: The role of partner perceptions in women’s postpartum pain during sex

By Meghan Rossi This blog is a summary of our published article: Rossi, M. A., Maxwell, J. A., & Rosen, N. O. (2020). Biased partner perceptions of women’s pain self-efficacy for postpartum pain during intercourse: A longitudinal dyadic examination. The Journal of Pain, 21(9-10), 1047-1059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2020.01.006 Childbirth increases a woman’s risk of developing pain during sex [1-3]. This pain […]

Myth Busting: Sex After Baby

By: Erin T. Fitzpatrick There are many commonly held beliefs about what sex will (or won’t) look like after the transition to parenthood. In this blog post, we will debunk of a few of these myths!   MYTH: Everyone will be ready to have sex 6-weeks after giving birth. FACT: Your doctor may suggest that […]

Pain and Pregnancy and Sex, Oh My!

by Meghan Rossi This blog is a summary of our published article: Rossi, M. A., Mooney, K. M., Binik, Y. M., & Rosen, N. O. (2019). A Descriptive and Longitudinal Analysis of Pain During Intercourse in Pregnancy. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.09.011 When women experience pain during intercourse, both they and their partners report lower […]

Are new parents less stressed when they’re more sexually satisfied?

By Inês Tavares This blog is a summary of our published article: Tavares, I. M., Nobre, P. J., Schlagentweit, H., & Rosen, N. O. (2019). Sexual well-being and perceived stress in couples transitioning to parenthood: A dyadic analysis. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology. doi:10.1016/j.ijchp.2019.07.004 After the birth of their first baby, new parents usually have a lot […]

Returning to Sex: Women’s Experiences with Their Postpartum Sexuality

by Heather Oliveira Have you or your partner recently had a baby? Are you or your partner pregnant? Are you curious about how becoming a parent will change your sex life? Postpartum sex is something that many women have difficulty with; studies show that self-esteem, confidence, and exhaustion make returning to sex challenging (2,3). A […]

Navigating Pain and Intimacy in the Postpartum Period

By Meghan Rossi Welcoming a new baby into your family is both an exciting and challenging time. For many parents it is a time of joy; however, some couples can experience unanticipated difficulties that are hard to navigate, both individually and as a couple. Pain during sexual activity is one challenge that couples may experience. […]