Small children really are the best contraception. There is evidence for this

A new study by researchers at Flinders University in Australia shows that engaging in baby care during night visits to the crib is the biggest barrier to sex for parents.

The more nightly visits to the baby, the less sex

The study used data from 897 parents of children aged 1 to 18 months. Study participants completed a questionnaire and answered questions about frequency and sexual satisfaction, sleep, relationship satisfaction, and depression. In contrast, infant sleep and parental bedtime attendance were objectively measured over a two-week period using a baby monitoring device.

It turned out that more nightly visits from parents to the crib was significantly associated with less frequency of sex. For example, parents who woke up 0-0.5 times a night on average reported having sex more than 4 times a month, while parents who had to get up 4 times a night had 50% sex. . less frequently (on average 2.3 times a month).

The most difficult six months after childbirth

“These data suggest that this is not a sleep disorder of the child or parent per se, but rather of parental nighttime involvement with infants, which is associated with a lower frequency of parental sexual activity,” said Dr Michal Kahn, one of the study’s authors. the study.

The relationship between parental involvement with the child at night and lower frequency of sexual activity was significant regardless of infant age. It also found that sexual satisfaction per se was not associated with parental care during the night, parental or infant sleep patterns, or parent-child sleep patterns in the various models.

The results of the study are published in The Journal of Sexual Research also indicate that the frequency of sexual activity increases with the age of the child, but only six months after birth. According to the researchers, the study highlights that the postpartum period is often a severe test for both restful sleep and parental sexual activity.