10 Ways Postpartum Can Be Worse Than Pregnancy

I’m not what you call the world’s biggest lover of pregnancy. I tend to be more the “grit my teeth and get through it” version of a pregnant woman rather than the “I feel wonderful and glowing” kind I so envy/admire/secretly loathe.

And yet, as difficult as I find pregnancy to be and as much as I look forward to the delivery finish line, I also have to admit that I dread the immediate postpartum phase maybe even slightly more. I love having a newborn and I love the relief that comes with not being pregnant anymore (breathing normally! No swollen feet!) but I also dread the ways that being postpartum can actually be worse than pregnancy …

1. There’s no excuse for the belly anymore.

Every pregnancy, I make the mistake of thinking, “Maybe this will be the pregnancy when I actually lose my belly quickly!” And every pregnancy, I am left with a lingering post-delivery mass of jelly belly that persists in sticking around for, oh, a good ten or more months. At least when I’m pregnant, I can talk myself into thinking that extra flab is just the baby.

2. The exhaustion is bone-deep.

The exhaustion of pregnancy is different than the exhaustion of the postpartum phase. With pregnancy, there’s an insomnia at the end that comes complete with an affection for giant pillows and endless tossing and turning, but there’s also some degree of anticipation

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What's REALLY Causing Your Low Sex Drive?

t's the end of a long day and your partner wants to have sex. You're so not into it and cite sheer exhaustion as yourlibido-squashing culprit. But truth be told, many women aren't always as primed for sex as they'd like to be. In fact, for up to one-third of adult women, low sexual desire is achronic problem that interferes with their quality of life. Despite how common it is, this condition—known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)—is not well-known or understood.

According to a recent survey supported by HealthyWomen and Palatin Technologies, Inc. [Editor’s note: Palatin Technologies, Inc., is developing bremelanotide, an on-demand treatment for HSDD.], nearly half of premenopausal women (ages 30-50) say they've experienced low sexual desire at some point in their lives, yet only 14 percent were aware that HSDD was a medical condition. HSDD is a form of sexual desire disorder that can be defined as a deficiency or absence of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity that causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulty. This under-reported and under-recognized sexual concern can take a real toll on a woman's romantic relationships andself-esteem.

Low sexual desire is the most common form of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). FSD, the general medical term for disturbance in women's sexual functioning, also includes female sexual arousal disorders, sexual pain disorders andfemale orgasmic disorder.

Symptoms of low sexual desire include:

1. Lack of sexual thoughts
2. Lack of sexual desire that cannot be attributed to any other physical or psychiatric condition, nor to any medications
3. Distress due to lack of sexual thoughts or desire
4. Strain on relationship with partner due to lack of sexual thoughts or desire