title: Breast-feeding and sexual response.
abstract: Despite the recent trend toward more women breast-feeding their infants and extending breast-feeding for longer periods of time, there are few reports in the literature on the effects of lactation on female sexuality. A self-selected group of 121 presently or recently lactating women completed a detailed questionnaire on their breast-feeding experience and how it affected postpartum sexual response. It was found that the lactational amenorrheic period, which can last for a year or more, is a highly significant factor influencing sexual response. Compared with the prepregnancy period, 72 of the respondents (62.6 percent) reported experiencing less or no sexual desire while amenorrheic and nursing, 30 (26.1 percent) reported they had the same sexual desire, and only 13 (11.3 percent) said they experienced more sexual desire. These findings differ significantly from those of Masters and Johnson, who reported higher levels of sexual tension in all 24 of the lactating women they questioned. In addition, 39 women in this study (32.2 percent) volunteered the information in open-ended questions that they encountered a lack of vaginal lubrication and subsequent unpleasant coital experience when they were amenorrheic and lactating.
mesh_terms: D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000209:etiology; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D007989:Libido / Q000502:physiology*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy