Sexuality during and after Pregnancy.

Most standard obstetrical and gynecological textbooks ignore the subject of sexuality during and after pregnancy, and physicians who practise obstetrics tend to pay scant attention to this aspect of their patients' well-being. Since 1966, when Masters and Johnson's studies were published, relatively little information about pregnancy and sexuality has appeared in the medical literature. A comprehensive survey of the feelings and opinions of some 300 couples, published in 1977, indicates patients' desire and need to discuss sexual concerns with their doctor during and after pregnancy. This article summarizes the relevant literature and discusses the author's own experience of counselling his maternity patients. It also addresses problems which may develop in the marital relationship when a baby enters the pre-existing marital dyad.