How Pregnancy Loss Shapes Couples’ Sexual Lives: Results from a Qualitative Study
By Ameera Asse, Isabella Scott, Juliana Herrera-Arias, and David Allsop
This blog is a summary of our published article:
Schwenck, G. C, Allsop, D. B., Cohen, E., & Rosen, N. O. (2024). A thematic analysis of couples’ sexual well-being following a recent pregnancy loss. The Journal of Sex Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2024.2441835
Photo by Dima Berlin on Shutterstock
About 15% of all detected pregnancies result in miscarriage or stillbirth [1]. Pregnancy loss can affect couples’ sexual well-being. For example, research has found that couples are at risk of lower sexual satisfaction following the loss of a pregnancy [2]. Changes to sexual relationships can affect overall well-being, as strong sexual relationships are linked to better health [3]. Despite the challenges of pregnancy loss, only about ten studies have examined sexual well-being post-loss. Even fewer studies have looked at things couples can do to support sexual well-being after a pregnancy loss.
What did we want to know?
The researchers wanted to learn how couples’ sexual well-being changes after pregnancy loss, both positively and negatively. They built on shortcomings of previous research by looking at supportive factors (things that help sexual well-being), asking questions to both members of a couple, and including individuals of diverse gender identities and sexes.
What did we do?
The participants included 133 couples who had been together for at least one year. All couples had experienced a pregnancy loss within the last four months when they joined the study. Everyone did a survey each month for four months, providing demographic info and info on their sexual well-being. Both partners completed the surveys on their own. The survey had three open-ended questions about how sexuality and sexual relationships had changed for the better and for the worse after pregnancy loss, and what supported couples sexually after the loss.
What did we find?
Researchers found themes related to positive changes, negative changes, and support factors. In the study, 87% of people reported at least one negative sexual change, with 33.7% reporting only negative changes. However, 62% noted at least one positive sexual change, and 75% reported at least one supportive factor
that aided their sexual well-being. Below, the main themes are bolded, and the subthemes are italicized.
Positive Changes: People shared that they experienced relationship growth post-loss, found that sex had new meaning, and found new opportunities for learning and growth.
Negative Changes: People shared they had a decrease in sexual desire and frequency, which was most coded response across the entire study, with 40.4% of people sharing thoughts related to this theme. People also reported health and body changes, a negative changed purpose and perception of sex, that sex was affected by grief and low mood and by anxiety and fear.
Support Factors: People reported several things that helped them with sex after the pregnancy loss. These included communicating openly, offering support and respecting readiness (or the lack thereof) for sex, providing affection and spending time together, and trying new, different, and intentional approaches to sex.
What does this mean?
This research shows there are many complex ways that pregnancy loss can affect sexual well-being after a pregnancy loss. The study also gives clues for what can help couples feel good about themselves sexually and their sexual relationship post-loss, such as deeper communication, renewed intimacy, and new meanings of sex. The findings can help couples and doctors better understand pregnancy loss, including that negative but also positive changes to sexual well-being can occur post-loss.
Image by Filadendron on istock.
References
[1] Quenby, S., Gallos, I. D., Dhillon-Smith, R. K., Podesek, M., Stephenson, M. D., Fisher, J., Brosens, J. J., Brewin, J., Ramhorst, R., Lucas, E. S., McCoy, R. C., Anderson, R., Daher, S., Regan, L., AlMemar, M., Bourne, T., MacIntyre, D. A., Rai, R. . . . Petrou, S. (2021). Miscarriage matters: The epidemiological, physical, psychological, and economic costs of early pregnancy loss. Lancet, 397(10285), 1658–1667. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00682-6
[2] Allsop, D. B., Huberman, J. S., Cohen, E., Bagnell, K. B., Péloquin, K., Cockwell, H., & Rosen, N. O. (2024). What does a pregnancy loss mean for sex? Comparing sexual well-being between couples with and without a recent loss. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 53(1), 423–438. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02697-1
[3] Diamond, L. M., & Huebner, D. M. (2012). Is good sex good for you? Rethinking sexuality and health. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 6(1), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00408.x
