The Length of Time Most Women Wait to Have Sex After Giving Birth May (or May Not) Surprise You

Is it what you'd expect?

After you give birth to a baby, your vagina has been through a war. It’s been stretched, pulled, and pushed to the limit—and maybe even torn or cut.

That’s why most doctors in the U.S. advise new moms to wait six weeks after their babies are born to get busy again. While six weeks is a looong time (1,008 hours, but who’s counting?), trust us when we say that your vagina will welcome the vacation.

Of course, not everyone waits until six weeks to take a test run—and not everyone knocks boots right at the six-week mark. But other than gossiping with your friends, it’s difficult to know what falls into the “normal” category, right? That is, until now.

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Scientists from Brazil’s University of Sao Paulo realized there was an important gap in scientific research and quizzed more than 800 new moms on their sexual habits after having a baby. The results might surprise you.

According to the study, which was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the average woman waits 2.1 months to get busy again after having a baby. Researchers tracked women at various post-partum points and found that up to 17 percent of couples were having sex again before the six week mark and 62 percent were having sex again in the sixth week. Meanwhile, 22 percent of women waited more than three months to have sex, while all of the women were doing it again by the seventh month.

Unfortunately, there were some not-so-great discoveries: 21.1 percent said their sex life declined after having a baby, and while 87 percent said they “desire to have a sex life” after having a baby, that means a whopping 13 percent aren’t feeling frisky.

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So okay: The good news is, you can have a sex life after you have a baby, and most women do.

It’s also nice to know that you can go at your own pace, which is completely normal compared to other women. (Not that you should compare your sex life to that of other people, but it might help mentally if you’re not ready to go at the six-week mark.)

As for the sex life decline part, it’s worth pointing out that researchers didn’t study these women forever. When you’re trying to learn to keep a small human alive and are operating on a serious sleep deficit, it’s understandable that you might not feel like having sex all the time—or at all. However, as you get used to the idea of being a mom and everything that comes with it, your libido will gradually return.

RELATED: 7 Questions Every Woman Should Ask Themselves Before Having a Kid

Bottom line: You should only have sex again after having a baby when you, your partner, and your vagina are ready.