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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Does anyone else just hate sex ?

231 replies

nc202105 · 04/05/2021 19:33

It makes me feel ill. I hate doing it. Does that change ? I've felt like this for a while, but going through a bad period. Where it's just even worse than normal. I'm married.

OP posts:
NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 04/05/2021 20:10

You say you did enjoy it.....
Have you ever really enjoyed it? Not tolerated, really enjoyed it?
Like when you first met your husband did you feel physically attracted to him? Or towards any other man? Heart pounding, getting aroused etc?

Possibly you might be asexual or simply not attracted to men.

nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:10

@PomegranateQueen no I'm not. I wasn't able to breastfeed for very long, no matter how hard I tried. I was very upset about that. I only did a few weeks.

OP posts:
nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:11

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

You say you did enjoy it..... Have you ever really enjoyed it? Not tolerated, really enjoyed it? Like when you first met your husband did you feel physically attracted to him? Or towards any other man? Heart pounding, getting aroused etc?

Possibly you might be asexual or simply not attracted to men.

I have definitely enjoyed it before. Definitely definitely definitely.
OP posts:
Yorkterrier · 04/05/2021 20:12

I would say I found sex gross a year after having a baby too. I love it now, 10 years later Grin

Mynextname · 04/05/2021 20:13

You say about the loss of control. Maybe it might be connected to feeling generally vulnerable, stressed and anxious.

If you wanted to talk to a therapist to figure out your feelings it would probably help. We can guess all kinds of things on here but sometimes you just need someone to reflect back to you what you are feeling and help you connect the dots.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 04/05/2021 20:14

For me the post partum period has been a time of very low libido. It takes a long time for hormones to return to normal. It does get better though.

Is it possible you could be pregnant? That can put you off too.

nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:15

@Yorkterrier

I would say I found sex gross a year after having a baby too. I love it now, 10 years later Grin
Well that's promising. I'm happy for you!

I really think I just hate my body so much at the moment. It makes it so much worse. I'm working on my body, hopefully I'll feel more confident soon.

OP posts:
PomegranateQueen · 04/05/2021 20:15

A few weeks is a great achievement, I didn't manage a week with DS1 and he thrived on formula, it's very hard for many women. I just wondered as I didn't immediately connect my libido drop with breastfeeding.

dchange · 04/05/2021 20:16

Feels like PND. Worth getting yourself checked. PND can manifest in different forms. Get the help as sounds like your hubby wants you back.

Frogsonglue · 04/05/2021 20:16

I went right off sex after having my first child 7 years ago and never really got my sex drive back. Sometimes I quite like it but often the thought grosses me out, and I can always take it or leave it. It's definitely connected to birth and how my body has changed, I just don't feel like a sexual being any more. Maybe it will come back, maybe it won't. But I really feel for you. My husband is at least understanding and does his best not to put pressure on me, although often even just his eagerness puts me off. Your partner needs to really understand that the more he pesters and bullies you the less chance there is you'll ever want to do it.

Lovemusic33 · 04/05/2021 20:17

I found sex unenjoyable after having dc’s, then I started to find dh disgusting too because he was always asking for it. I then divorced dh, I now enjoy sex a lot.

Tigertealeaves · 04/05/2021 20:17

I stopped breastfeeding 9 months ago and I still feel ick about sex too. I think it is due to 1) exhaustion. 2) young DC still sharing our room. 3) built up resentment from when DP has complained so I have "given in" and done things I wasn't into. 4) Overload of caring for others' needs. Work, housework, DC/SDC needing stuff, then the moment we get a break, DP is wanting to cosy up and it's so frustrating as I just want to be master of my own destiny for 5 mins.

Do any of the above things apply to you OP? Does your H do his share of night wakings etc?

warmandtoasty2day · 04/05/2021 20:18

@nc202105

He doesn't understand and just follows me around. I try to avoid it. But he won't let it go and when I refuse be gets angry sometimes. He says he has no joy.

I do feel bad. I think it would be more bearable if I looked normal again.

this would put me right off if dh was like this with me.
Lelophants · 04/05/2021 20:19

You're not turned on enough! Or at all, it sounds like.

CallMeCleo · 04/05/2021 20:19

Some people are asexual and just don't like sex. We're all different.

nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:21

@Tigertealeaves

I stopped breastfeeding 9 months ago and I still feel ick about sex too. I think it is due to 1) exhaustion. 2) young DC still sharing our room. 3) built up resentment from when DP has complained so I have "given in" and done things I wasn't into. 4) Overload of caring for others' needs. Work, housework, DC/SDC needing stuff, then the moment we get a break, DP is wanting to cosy up and it's so frustrating as I just want to be master of my own destiny for 5 mins.

Do any of the above things apply to you OP? Does your H do his share of night wakings etc?

Omg yes! Our girl sleeps with us too still. And omg the way you describe it is perfect. It's like you've given so much all day to your children / child and your work and house etc and then suddenly your husband also wants something. I can't deal. Most days I just want to be alone. I don't want to hang out with anyone after my baby girl is asleep. It's too much. I used to spend so much time alone before. I loved it so much. I had so much peace. Now the only peace I get, I'm expected to spread my legs. ( sorry to be crude ). But then I understand, it must be hard for my husband. It's part of a relationship.
OP posts:
alexdgr8 · 04/05/2021 20:21

i think you should stop doing it if it repulses you.
your husband needs to respect you and your body and your choices.
you don't exist to give him joy at the expense of your feeling disgust.
do you think you would be better living alone.

Booboobadoo · 04/05/2021 20:23

He follows you around and gets angry with you if you don't want to have sex. This is an awful way to treat you.

nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:23

@dchange

Feels like PND. Worth getting yourself checked. PND can manifest in different forms. Get the help as sounds like your hubby wants you back.
My girl is almost one and a half.. can that still be connected do you think ?
OP posts:
therocinante · 04/05/2021 20:23

What I think is really encouraging is that you're able to pinpoint what about it bothers you - the loss of control, intimacy, your feelings about your body.

That's a good thing: this isn't a random occurrence, you're having a reaction to something (or multiple things).

I imagine a therapist who specialised in sex and body image would be really, really helpful to you if you can access something like that. If you can't, there are quite a lot of resources online to help with both body image and confidence, and your feelings about sex.

That's only tackling how you feel about your body and sex in the abstract, though. Having a partner who does not listen to or hear your message when you're talking about how you feel AND continues to pester you and make you feel guilt ('has no joy'? Fuck off) is not helping - to me it seems you are, at least partly, repulsed by the idea of intimacy with someone who can't respect your feelings about sex at the moment.

That's a seperate issue - but please, please, please don't have sex with him unless you want to.

A good partner will want you to be equally interested, enthusiastic, engaged and getting pleasure from the sex you have together. The fact that he isn't bothered is very concerning and that he sees his sexual gratification as more important than whether or not he has a sexual partner giving enthusiastic consent (and, more to the point, that the person he's supposed to love is really struggling with something).

Sounds like you need a talk with him too. Good luck, OP.

P.S. You can definitely not know you're into women until you're older, but as you've enjoyed sex in the past I'm not sure that's what's going on here!

nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:25

@Booboobadoo

He follows you around and gets angry with you if you don't want to have sex. This is an awful way to treat you.
It's really tough on both of us I think. He also wants to drag it out a lot. That's the worst. I feel so bad, like I'm not good enough and not giving him what I ' owe ' him as my husband. He guilts / complains a lot about it.
OP posts:
Shehasadiamondinthesky · 04/05/2021 20:25

I hate it and realised during my 2nd marriage that I'm asexual.
I am so much happier living on my own now. Its a massive relief.

Onesnowynight · 04/05/2021 20:26

Is it just penetration you don’t like or all sexual acts?

nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:28

@therocinante

What I think is really encouraging is that you're able to pinpoint what about it bothers you - the loss of control, intimacy, your feelings about your body.

That's a good thing: this isn't a random occurrence, you're having a reaction to something (or multiple things).

I imagine a therapist who specialised in sex and body image would be really, really helpful to you if you can access something like that. If you can't, there are quite a lot of resources online to help with both body image and confidence, and your feelings about sex.

That's only tackling how you feel about your body and sex in the abstract, though. Having a partner who does not listen to or hear your message when you're talking about how you feel AND continues to pester you and make you feel guilt ('has no joy'? Fuck off) is not helping - to me it seems you are, at least partly, repulsed by the idea of intimacy with someone who can't respect your feelings about sex at the moment.

That's a seperate issue - but please, please, please don't have sex with him unless you want to.

A good partner will want you to be equally interested, enthusiastic, engaged and getting pleasure from the sex you have together. The fact that he isn't bothered is very concerning and that he sees his sexual gratification as more important than whether or not he has a sexual partner giving enthusiastic consent (and, more to the point, that the person he's supposed to love is really struggling with something).

Sounds like you need a talk with him too. Good luck, OP.

P.S. You can definitely not know you're into women until you're older, but as you've enjoyed sex in the past I'm not sure that's what's going on here!

Thanks for your kind response. He gets pretty frustrated. The ' I have no joy ' comment is said constantly. He gets frustrated. If it were up to him we would do long evenings of sex stuff etc. My worse nightmare ! I will try and find a good therapist. I just find it hard to see myself a sexual at the moment. I have seen myself that way in the past. But not for a while now.
OP posts:
nc202105 · 04/05/2021 20:28

@Onesnowynight

Is it just penetration you don’t like or all sexual acts?
All of it
OP posts:
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