The Impact of Stress on Women’s Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth—A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

TL;DR

This study explores how stress affects women's sexuality in the early postpartum period and finds that stress levels are lower and sexual satisfaction is higher during this time.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the relationship between stress and sexual satisfaction in early motherhood using a comparative cross-sectional design.

Findings

Perceived stress was significantly lower in the postpartum group compared to the control group.

Sexual satisfaction was significantly higher in the postpartum group across all subscales.

Emotional coping with stress was linked to higher sexual satisfaction in communication but lower in interpersonal contact.

Abstract

Background: The postpartum period can carry strong stress related to the sudden changes in a woman’s life, which may contribute to changes in the female sexual sphere. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of stress on women’s sexuality in the early motherhood period. Methods: A total of 111 women were studied, including 65 in the puerperal period and 46 women who constituted the control group. We used the author’s questionnaire and five standardized psychological questionnaires (CISS-21,STAI, PSS-10, SSS-W, and the Mell–Krat Scale for women). Results: Perceived stress (PSS-10 scores) was significantly lower (p < 0.001) and sexual satisfaction (SSS-W scores) was significantly higher both regarding the summary scores (p < 0.001) and in all subscales (contentment, communication, and compatibility). In the study group, the intensity of stress was negatively correlated with the level of sexual satisfaction (p = 0.014). Women with an emotional way of coping with stress (CISS-21 inventory) in both groups achieved higher scores of sexual satisfaction in terms of communication, but a lower level in terms of interpersonal contact (p = 0.007), but higher stress intensity scores in the PSS-10 scale and in both STAI questionnaire stems. Conclusions: The early period of motherhood does not increase stress levels or decrease sexual satisfaction. It is likely that the sense of stability promotes a reduction in stress levels, which contributes to better sexual satisfaction.