Holly Hagan reveals postpartum libido drop after birth of Alpha-Jax

Holly Hagan has revealed she had zero interest in sex after giving birth to her son Alpha-Jax, saying her libido disappeared in the months after their June 2023 arrival. The former Geordie Shore star, 33, spoke about intimacy during a recent appearance on the CBeebies Parenting Helpline, describing a period in which affectionate gestures felt like they could lead to sex and were therefore avoided. Hagan, who welcomed Alpha-Jax with husband Jacob Blyth, 33, in June 2023, said she did not feel ready for sex and that the sentiment persisted for months, prompting her to speak openly with her partner to reduce pressure and misunderstandings.

She recalled telling her husband, Jacob Blyth, that she would have said, "Listen, if you don't touch me ever again, I'm not even bothered," noting she was not emotionally ready for sex. The discussion also included input from Rachel Gold, a sex and relationship therapist, who said many mothers expect to become intimate again after the six-week postnatal check, but that isn’t always the case. Hagan added that the belief that six weeks is the universal marker “fools people into believing that this must be the time to have sex again, but it isn't true.”

Hagan described avoiding intimacy because even a simple cuddle felt like a potential gateway to sex. She said, "Whenever I would give him any type of affection, like a touch or a cuddle, I felt it was going to lead to the full thing, to sex, and I didn't want that." She explained that being open with her husband about her feelings helped, adding that once she asked to avoid letting affection automatically progress to sex, the mood improved because the pressure was taken off. The star also noted that her husband worried she no longer fancied him, but she reassured him that the issue was about her, not him: "This has nothing to do with you. I am feeling this way at the moment, but I don't think any differently of you." "I don't really feel like having sex right now, or even maybe in the next few months. This is my issue that I'm going through, and I just need to work through it."

The experience, she said, underscored how couples can be blindsided by postnatal changes and why openness matters. "People do say the relationship changes after having a child, but I don't think that until you're in it, you really, truly realise how much it changes," she observed. During the same appearance, she highlighted that the journey is deeply personal and not uniform across families, urging other parents to communicate without stigma.

Dr Jennifer Lincoln, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, outlined medical reasons why postpartum sex can be challenging. She said there are many factors at play after birth, including physical healing: "There’s a lot of healing that happens. It takes about six weeks for the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size. Any tears in the vagina or perineum are also healing." Hormonal shifts also influence desire and comfort. Lincoln noted that levels of estrogen and progesterone drop drastically after childbirth, sometimes leading to vaginal dryness that can make sex painful. "The lower estrogen levels can lead to physical changes like vaginal dryness, which can make sex painful," she added, stressing that the hormonal fluctuations surrounding childbirth can be as or more impactful than menopause in the short term. "People usually think menopause is the single most acute shift in hormone levels that a woman will ever experience, but actually the few days surrounding childbirth are."

Hagan’s public reflection comes as part of her broader timeline with Blyth. She announced she was welcoming her first child in January 2023, six months after marrying National League footballer Jacob Blyth in a summer Ibiza wedding. In an exclusive video with OK! Magazine, she told Blyth, "Your patience, strength and resilience inspire me every single day and I couldn't think of a strong role model for our future children." The video cut to Blyth unwrapping a present containing a positive pregnancy test, prompting a shocked reaction from the footballer. The following month, she announced she was expecting a son after filming a gender reveal and joint second wedding party for Geordie Shore. During pregnancy, she kept fans updated and even shared that she had picked out a name she loved, writing to a fan: "We've only ever had one name since the start and it was a boy's name. Never even thought about a girl's name because I just knew he was a boy. I'm in love with the name. It's uncommon but after you've said it a few times you'll think why isn't that more common as a name?"