Fact & Fiction: Sex After Pregnancy

There are a lot of myths about when it's okay for new parents to be intimate again and just what to expect after the birth of baby. So on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning" Lisa Masterson, OB/GYN and host of CBS' "The Doctors," separated fact from fiction.

Women should wait four to six weeks after giving birth before having sex: TRUE
Masterson said, "In general, four to six weeks because the body has to heal. So that's what we really suggest in general. But you have to talk to your doctor because in case you have things like infections or things that may make it more difficult, it may be a little bit longer. I get mommies asking me for a prescription not to have sex. They go please, doctor, give it me so I don't have to have section. But in general, four to six weeks."

Women who give birth by C-section do not need to wait before having sex: FALSE
Masterson said, "A lot of women who want elective C-section, (I say) no, that doesn't get you out of the sex prescription. Not only have you had surgery, but your whole physiology has changed to support that baby for ten months. So you have to let your body heal."

After childbirth, women may experience pain during sex: TRUE
"If you pass an eight or ten pound ball out there, I think you might have some pain. So, yes, you have to let the body heal. But there's lots of things that we coach our mommies to do to get back in the game so to speak."

After giving birth, most women will have a decreased sex drive: TRUE
Masterson said, "Those hormones that are around, especially when you're breastfeeding, they can sort of suppress that drive. It's sort of nature's way saying, 'You already had one, you need to wait a little while.'"

A woman will never have the same sexual satisfaction she had before giving birth: FALSE
Masterson explained, "It just takes time. You have to let the body heal, and you have to remember to become a couple again. Don't forget about the daddy. You have to be a couple, not just a family. And that is so huge. And you start with cuddling, go slow."

A woman cannot become pregnant while she is breastfeeding: FALSE
"That is a huge, huge myth, and that's really close babies and siblings get born," Masterson said. "And that's why we have the six-week appointment. Before we free you up to have sex again or give you the prescription to your husband saying no, basically we go over contraception. And that is key because there are a lot, so many moms who think that's protective over contraception. So absolutely a myth."