{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T01:15:37Z","timestamp":1789780537637,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,2,27]],"date-time":"2013-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1361923200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BJOG"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>To investigate the timing of resumption of vaginal sex and assess associations with method of birth, perineal trauma and other obstetric and social factors.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design<\/jats:title><jats:p>Prospective pregnancy cohort study of nulliparous women.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title><jats:p>Melbourne, Australia.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Sample<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 1507 nulliparous women recruited in early pregnancy (\u226424\u00a0weeks).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method<\/jats:title><jats:p>Women were recruited from six public hospitals. Data from hospital records and self\u2010administered questionnaires at recruitment and 3, 6 and 12\u00a0months postpartum were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Main outcome measure<\/jats:title><jats:p>Resumption of vaginal sex.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Sexual activity was resumed earlier than vaginal sex, with 53% resuming sexual activity by 6\u00a0weeks postpartum, and 41% attempting vaginal sex. By 8\u00a0weeks a majority of women had attempted vaginal sex (65%), increasing to 78% by 12\u00a0weeks, and 94% by 6\u00a0months. Compared with women who had a spontaneous vaginal birth with an intact perineum, women who had a spontaneous vaginal birth with an episiotomy (adjusted odds ratio 3.43, 95% confidence interval 1.9\u20136.2) or sutured perineal tear (adjusted odds ratio 3.18, 95% confidence interval 2.1\u20134.9) were more likely not to have resumed vaginal sex by 6\u00a0weeks postpartum. Similarly, women who had an assisted vaginal birth or caesarean section had raised odds of delaying resumption of sex.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Most women having a first birth do not resume vaginal sex until later than 6\u00a0weeks postpartum. Women who have an operative vaginal birth, caesarean section or perineal tear or episiotomy appear to delay longer.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/1471-0528.12166","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,2,26]],"date-time":"2013-02-26T10:22:48Z","timestamp":1361874168000},"page":"823-830","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":101,"title":["Does method of birth make a difference to when women resume sex after childbirth?"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"120","author":[{"given":"EA","family":"McDonald","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Melbourne Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"SJ","family":"Brown","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Melbourne Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,2,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_7_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1471-6712.2005.00357.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.midw.2009.04.003"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_4_1","unstructured":"BickD MacArthurC KnowlesH WinterH.Postnatal Care: Evidence and Guidelines for Management.Edinburgh:Churchill Livingstone 2002."},{"key":"e_1_2_7_5_1","unstructured":"BeischerNA MackayEV ColditzPB.Obstetrics and the Newborn: An Illustrated Textbook.London:Saunders 1979(3rd ed.)."},{"key":"e_1_2_7_6_1","volume-title":"Myles Textbook for Midwives","author":"Fraser DM","year":"2009"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_7_1","unstructured":"BerghellaV.Obstetric Evidence Based Guidelines: Informa Healthcare.New York:Informa Healthcare 2011(2nd ed.)."},{"key":"e_1_2_7_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0b013e3182479611"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1471-0528.2000.tb11689.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2011.10.863"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0b013e318242b1f7"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_12_1","volume-title":"Perinatal Mental Health: a Guide to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)","author":"Cox J","year":"2003"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1891\/0886-6708.2005.20.5.529"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1022834215681"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_15_1","volume-title":"Stata Statistical Software: Release 12","author":"StataCorp","year":"2011"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00192-009-1011-x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1523-536X.2012.00551.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1471-0528.1998.tb10045.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1471-0528.1995.tb09132.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1471-0528.2000.tb11608.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1523-536X.2008.00222.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1471-0528.2000.tb11607.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_23_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.obstetgynecol.2003.08.020"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2288-10-26"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_25_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(02)08336-8"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_26_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3109\/0167482X.2012.720314"}],"container-title":["BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics &amp; 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