Postpartum sexuality: Can medical and healthcare professionals advise new mothers from a strengths-based, sex positive perspective?

分娩可能会产生强烈的心理和生理影响(McDonald等人，2018年)，这往往对妇女的自我意识和心理健康产生重大负面影响，包括产后抑郁症(Woolhouse等人，2014年)。伴侣也会经历情绪上的变化，高达50%的新父亲报告了父亲的抑郁(Beck，2001)。此外，分娩后，夫妇通常花更少的时间在一起，经历更多的冲突，不那么活跃的性活动，经历婚姻和性满意度的下降(微妙等人，2018)。缺乏亲密感，包括缺乏性生活和感官生活，以及不忠，可能会导致父母关系在早期阶段破裂(Ahlborg等人，2008年)。尽管如此，一些女性报告称，产后亲密关系有所改善(Olsson等人，2005年)，性活动增加(Williamson等人，2008年)。本研究将利用定性研究方法，探讨产后性生活的主观体验(对于女性及其伴侣而言)，以及这对心理幸福感和关系满意度的感知影响。随着越来越多的人意识到低质量的关系或关系破裂对儿童结果的负面影响以及与此相关的国家成本增加，社会政策出现了“关系转向”(Marjoribank和Davies，2016)，这项研究旨在探索性亲密在促进和维持积极的为人父母转变方面的作用。根据针对关键过渡点的政策和实践干预的建议(Cowan和Cowan，2018)，这项研究将为助产士、社会工作者、保健顾问和性与关系治疗师的工作提供信息。

Giving birth can have intense psychological and physiological effects (McDonald et al, 2018) which often significantly negatively impact womens' sense of self and mental health, including postnatal depression (Woolhouse et al, 2014). Partners also experience emotional changes with up to 50% of new fathers reporting paternal depression (Beck, 2001). Moreover, after childbirth couples typically spend less time together, experience more conflict, are less sexually active and experience a decline in marital and sexual satisfaction (Delicate et al, 2018). Lack of intimacy, including lack of sexual and sensual life, and infidelity can contribute to relationship breakdown in the early stages of parenthood (Ahlborg et al, 2008). Despite this, some women report improvements to intimacy (Olsson et al, 2005) and increased sexual activity (Williamson et al, 2008) postpartum. Utilizing qualitative methods this study will explore the subjective lived experience of postpartum sexuality (for women and their partners) and the perceived impact this has on mental well-being and relationship satisfaction. Following the 'relational turn' in social policy which has arisen in response to growing awareness of the negative impact of poor quality relationships or relationship breakdown on children's outcomes and the increased costs to the state associated with this (Marjoribanks and Davies, 2016), this research aims to explore the role of sexual intimacy in promoting and sustaining a positive transition to parenthood. Building on recommendation to target policy and practice interventions at key transition points (Cowan and Cowan, 2018), this research will inform the work of midwifes, social workers, healthcare advisors and sex and relationship therapists.