Kegel
Yes, there is sex after childbirth. But there is no fixed date for when to start again. What matters is how you feel, how your recovery is going, and whether you both feel ready.
When can you have sex again?
The NHS says there are no rules about when to start having sex again after giving birth. Most people feel sore and tired after the birth, so there is no need to rush (NHS).
- If penetration hurts, say so. You can still be close without penetration.
- Hormonal changes after birth can make the vagina feel drier, so a lubricant may help at first.
- Desire may take time to return. Hormones, lack of sleep and caring for a baby all affect sex drive (NHS).
- If sex still hurts at your postnatal check (usually 6 to 8 weeks after the birth), tell your doctor (NHS).
Partners sometimes worry about causing pain, too. It helps to talk about these worries openly.
Don't forget contraception
You can get pregnant as early as 3 weeks after giving birth, even if you are breastfeeding and your periods have not returned. It is usually recommended to wait at least 12 months before becoming pregnant again. Some methods of contraception can be started straight after the birth, others after a few weeks; discuss the right option with a healthcare professional (NHS).
What happens to the pelvic floor
Pregnancy and birth can weaken the muscles that help you hold in urine (NHS). NICE lists birth-related risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunction, including an assisted vaginal birth (forceps or vacuum), a baby lying face up, a second stage of labour lasting more than an hour, and injury to the anal sphincter. Other risk factors include having a baby after 30, previous births, a higher body weight, smoking and constipation (NICE NG210).
Signs to look out for include leaking urine when you cough, sneeze or exert yourself; difficulty controlling wind or stools; a heavy or bulging feeling in the vagina; and pain during sex. These problems are common, but you do not have to put up with them: exercises and specialist help can help with many of them (NHS).
Pelvic floor exercises in pregnancy and after birth
NICE recommends encouraging pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy and after giving birth. Some women — for example, those with a mother or sister who has pelvic floor problems, or those who had certain complications during birth — may be offered a 3-month supervised programme; in pregnancy, this starts from week 20 (NICE NG210). A Cochrane review found that, for pregnant women without incontinence, antenatal training probably lowers the risk of urinary incontinence in late pregnancy and slightly lowers it 3 to 6 months after birth (Woodley et al., 2020).
After a straightforward birth, the NHS says you can start gentle exercise — including walking, gentle stretches and pelvic floor exercises — as soon as you feel up to it. After a caesarean or a more complicated delivery, recovery takes longer; talk to your midwife or doctor first (NHS).
How to do the exercises (NHS):
- squeeze as if you were holding in wind and stopping the flow of urine;
- long squeezes: hold for as long as you can, but no longer than 10 seconds, then relax;
- short squeezes: squeeze quickly, then let go straight away;
- build up to 10 repetitions of each, at least 3 times a day;
- keep breathing normally and do not pull in your stomach.
If you can't feel the muscles working
Tell your doctor or midwife and ask about a referral to a pelvic health physiotherapist, who can check that you are contracting and relaxing the right muscles. If you cannot contract them on your own, biofeedback (a sensor shows when the muscles contract) or electrical stimulation may be considered. NICE does not recommend adding them to pelvic floor training routinely (NICE NG123).
When to see a doctor
- sex is still painful at your postnatal check or later;
- you leak urine, wind or stools, or feel heaviness or bulging in the vagina;
- your sex drive has not returned and this worries you (NHS).
KegelFit offers a Kegel exercise timer and video workouts for the pelvic floor and the whole body. It helps you keep a routine, but it does not measure muscle strength or check your technique. Free to download, with in-app purchases: Google Play · App Store.
Sources
- NHS. Sex and contraception after birth (reviewed 7 February 2024). https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/sex-and-contraception-after-birth/
- NHS. Your post-pregnancy body (reviewed 20 July 2026). https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/your-post-pregnancy-body/
- NHS. Keeping fit and healthy with a baby (reviewed 20 April 2026). https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/keeping-fit-and-healthy-with-a-baby/
- NHS. Urinary incontinence (reviewed 15 June 2023). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-incontinence/
- NHS. Low sex drive (loss of libido) (reviewed 26 May 2026). https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/loss-of-libido/
- NICE. Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and non-surgical management (NG210), 2021. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng210
- NICE. Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management (NG123), 2019. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng123
- Woodley SJ, et al. Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;5:CD007471. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007471.pub4