For sex after a C-section, you should choose the right time carefully. Because regardless of whether it’s an emergency C-section or a planned C-section – a surgical procedure of this kind is a real strain on the female body.
That’s why you should make sure you get plenty of rest and recuperation afterward. Give your body the time it needs to relax and, if possible, refrain from making love to your partner in the first few days after the operation.
But surely you don’t want to wait too long. Therefore, the question inevitably arises as to when is actually the appropriate time for the first sex after the C-section.
Table of contents
You Should Know This
Operations are always associated with a certain risk. A C-section is never completely safe for mother and child. The first step in this operation is to make an incision above the pubic mound.
In the course of this, the tissue and muscles as well as the uterus are opened. In addition, the detachment of the placenta from the uterus is performed.
During the placement of the incision, doctors usually take a very “rough” approach. The tissue is literally torn open during the cesarean section because this supports and accelerates the healing process of the skin and muscle tissue.
Following this procedure, the baby can be removed from the uterus through the incision, which is about 10 to 13 cm long, and given medical attention.
The woman’s abdominal tissue is immediately thoroughly disinfected and then sutured with the utmost care. The stresses to which the body is subjected in the process are therefore considerable. Not only the external injuries to the skin and connective tissue are relevant here, but also those inside the abdomen.
When Is The Best Time For Sex After cesarean Section?
One-third of babies born in this country are born by cesarean section. Many parents plan to have cesarean surgery, and for other births, an emergency cesarean must be performed.
The skin and muscle tissue is opened during the procedure so that the baby can be taken directly from the uterus. A strain on the female body.
To avoid long-term consequential damage, the new mother must take the best possible care of herself. Some women are more robust in this respect, while others feel the need to allow their bodies to rest for several weeks.
As the injured tissue above the mons pubis slowly heals, scar tissue develops. This is known as the cesarean scar.
Many young mothers often experience severe pain after a cesarean birth. A painful pulling sensation is especially noticeable when standing up or when accidentally making violent movements.
In addition, they experience itching or burning in the area of the cesarean scar. The internal and external healing phase usually lasts about two to three weeks. The scar is very sensitive during this time.
You should therefore avoid physical exertion of any kind. This reduces the risk of the scar tearing and the healing process being abruptly interrupted.
Note
After a cesarean section, there is very little connective tissue underneath the scar tissue. One of the most important properties of connective tissue is to provide stability and support.
Because this support is no longer fully present after a cesarean section, there is all the more risk that the scar tissue will begin to bleed if careless or hectic movements are made.
Likewise, it is possible that it will become inflamed or, in the worst case, even rupture and thus need to be sutured again.
When Is Sex Possible Again After Caesarean Section?
Every woman should take good care of her body. Pay attention to the signals of your body and interpret them correctly. Especially after pregnancy or childbirth, you should pay more attention to yourself.
Be worth it. Take time for yourself, for your body and for your soul. Because in the previous 10 months your body has literally done “hard work”.
Whether and when you have sex after your C-section is primarily at your own discretion. In fact, there is no rule of thumb or guideline that “woman” has to follow.
In any case, there is no question of a “must” or “should” in this context. It is much more important that you decide for yourself when you want to or can have sex with your partner again after the C-section.
How many days or weeks after the operation you will be intimate with each other again is entirely your decision.
Some couples need a little more time before they feel ready, while others have intercourse with each other just a few days after the C-section.
Tip
If you are not quite sure about the healing process of your body after the C-section, loving cuddles instead of sexual intercourse are a very nice and sensual alternative.
There are no limits to your creativity. What is good for you is allowed. Enjoy your new family’s happiness. Take time for each other. And don’t forget that just a few weeks after giving birth, it is possible to become pregnant again.
The tissue around the C-section scar is usually sensitive to pain and pressure for a long time. Some women even experience a kind of numbness in the body region.
Pain, pressure, numbness or other unpleasant sensations in the abdominal area, as well as associated anxiety or discomfort, can sometimes significantly impair pleasurable feelings during lovemaking.
In addition, physical exertion is something that is not necessarily conducive to the healing process of the scar tissue. You should therefore decide for yourself when to have sex after the C-section and how intensively the act can take place.
Listen to yourself and try to perceive what feels good and right for you – and what doesn’t (yet).
The Flow Of The Week
If you feel pain after the cesarean section or if touching is still uncomfortable for you, your body still needs some time to regenerate.
You should definitely take this sexual time-out. Do you also suffer from what is known as postpartum flow? This can also spoil the pleasure of sexual intercourse.
Lochia is a wound secretion or discharge that is secreted together with some blood from the remaining tissue of the abdomen.
The cause of the wound flow is that the healing process is in full swing. This is mostly associated with bleeding and afterpains. However, this secretion is not unusual and therefore not at all worrisome.
Postpartum flow can last between four and six weeks. It is important that you take it easy during this phase, as the flow eliminates tissue remnants and any bacteria that may be present.
It is therefore a kind of cleansing process that is good for your body.
Note
Don’t forget that a cesarean section is not only an external injury, but also a lot has happened inside the abdomen, from which your body must first recover.
Take care of yourself and help to ensure that nothing gets infected. Basically, with regard to the postpartum period, it does not have to mean that you should not have sex after the C-section.
Nevertheless, it is elementary that you perceive the signals of your body with special attentiveness and interpret them correctly. If you want to have sex after cesarean section despite pain or lochia, you are well-advised to use a condom.
This is the only way to avoid bleeding, infection or inflammation.
Sex After Cesarean Section: Pregnant Despite The Pill?
After the birth, it usually takes about three to five weeks until the first menstrual period starts. However, it can be difficult to distinguish this first menstrual bleeding from the postpartum blood.
A Little Help In Distinguishing
- Initially, the postmenstrual blood is light red to transparent with a soft reddish tinge.
- In the second stage of the postpartum period, the blood is deep red or dark red.
- When the postpartum flow subsides after a few weeks, a light red blood coloration is usually visible.
Tip
If the escaping blood or blood secretion is bright red at the end of the lochia phase, this is usually an indication that it is the first menstrual bleeding.
What You Should Know After A Cesarean Birth – Pregnant Despite The Pill
It is in the nature of things that sex after cesarean section can be accompanied by a possible new pregnancy. To prevent getting pregnant despite taking the pill, you should know when ovulation occurs after your delivery.
At the same time, you are well-advised to use contraception again no later than six weeks afterward. Of course, this only applies if you and your partner want to put family planning on hold for the time being.
However, the risk of becoming pregnant despite taking the pill is comparatively high for young mothers after giving birth. This is because hormone levels are still running at full speed.
Many processes that take place in your body, as a result, have not yet returned to normal. The best way to find out when you are ovulating is to talk to your gynecologist or have an examination.
Pregnant Despite The Pill – How To Avoid Risks
After a cesarean birth, many women initially use contraception without hormones to avoid becoming pregnant despite taking the pill. Some of them have their period after about three weeks after the birth.
Others even wait several months. If your family planning is complete, it would be important under “normal” circumstances to know when ovulation occurs. The fact is, however, that a lot of hormonal changes take place in the body after childbirth.
Therefore, you should know that the possibility of becoming pregnant despite taking the pill is very real.
When Is Ovulation Possible?
New mothers should start using contraception without hormones no later than about four to six weeks after giving birth. This is because the “turbulence” in the female body means that it is not initially possible to determine explicitly when ovulation occurs exactly.
Generally, ovulation can occur as early as three weeks after the baby sees the light of day. It takes a while until the uterus and the muscle or connective tissue have regenerated and the hormone balance has normalized.
By then, the menstrual period will also have adjusted to some extent to the physical processes.
Pregnant Despite The Pill And Missed Periods
Although the pill is known as one of the safest contraceptives available, you should not rely on it 100 percent after giving birth. In the first weeks after the birth, you should also use an alternative form of contraception – without hormones.
The Pearl Index for the pill is 0.1 to 0.9, which means that out of every 100 women who use it, only 0.1 to 0.9 become pregnant each year despite taking the pill.
If the female hormone balance is not yet fully restored after childbirth, you may become pregnant despite the pill during sex after a Caesarean section. It is, therefore, best to additionally use either a condom, a contraceptive ring, or a contraceptive patch.
Other alternatives are the so-called female condom or the copper spiral.
Pregnant Despite Taking The Pill – These Can Be The Triggers:
- Forgotten to take the pill.
- The pill was taken too late.
- In case of stomach or intestinal inflammation.
- Vomiting or diarrhea after taking the pill.
- Interactions with antibiotics, antifungals, antihistamines, or St. John’s wort.
- In case of severe underweight.
- After an above-average consumption of nicotine.
Conclusion
Sex is literally the most beautiful secondary matter in the world. In order to make sex after a C-section a pleasant experience for you, you should listen to your body’s signals.
Abdominal pain, postpartum flow or unpleasant sensations can interfere with the pleasure of lovemaking. Cuddle sex is a tempting alternative. At least until you feel good and fit all over again.
However, in order not to get pregnant during sex after the C-section despite the pill, you should rely on modern contraception without hormones.
This way you can enjoy your love life again with all its wonderful facets.
Sources
https://www.hallo-eltern.de/schwangerschaft/wochenfluss/
https://www.swissmom.ch/geburt/wochenbett/koerperliches/das-wochenbett-nach-einem-kaiserschnitt/
