INTRODUCTION: Sexual education by health professionals during the postpartum period is extremely important in maintaining healthy sexual activity. In this context, the study proposed to identify the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in postpartum women and health professionals' orientations on sexual function after childbirth. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study, including 100 women up to one year postpartum, aged 18 years or more and sexually active, excluding pregnant women. Two questionnaires were applied, one for sample characterization and to evaluate orientations on sexuality and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). An exploratory descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows. The study was approved by Ethics Committee and all women signed a consent form. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 26 years (SD 6.2), 45% were brown, 62% were married/stable union, 47% had completed high school and 67% were housewives. Almost half of the women (48%) received orientations on when to return sexual intercourse in the postpartum period, however, none of them received any other orientation about postpartum sexuality. The mean number of days for returning intercourse after delivery was 55.6 (SD 24.8). The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 55%, using a score lower than 26.55 for classification of sexual dysfunction with the FSFI questionnaire. CONCLUSION: More than half of women were classified as having sexual dysfunction and none of them received guidance on postpartum sexual function. These findings serve as an alert to the importance of encouraging health professionals to guide the aspects of sexuality to women during prenatal and postpartum periods.