Can couples make love during pregnancy?
If there are no health contraindications, nothing prevents you from making love while pregnant. Let’s dispel the most common myths about intercourse during pregnancy and describe the positions that are safe for pregnant women. I will also explain the most common doubts about intercourse in each trimester of pregnancy.
Making Love During Pregnancy - Is It Safe?
Some prospective parents give up making love during pregnancy for fear of hurting their baby. And that's a mistake! Penetration during intercourse will not hurt your baby. The fetus is well protected inside the amniotic sac - no microbes or sperm will penetrate it. The uterus is also tightly closed by a layer of mucus at the mouth of the cervix.
Intercourse during pregnancy - until when?
In a healthy pregnancy, you can have intercourse until birth. Intercourse in late pregnancy does not threaten miscarriage if the pregnancy is normal. The baby is safe even though uterine contractions occur during orgasm. In the last weeks of pregnancy, orgasm can trigger the so-called Braxton-Hicks contractions that may last up to 30 minutes after intercourse.
Caution is advised when a woman is pregnant with multiple births. You have to give up intercourse from about the 20th week of pregnancy. If there are complications - it should be done well in advance. It is crucial to talk to your doctor and give his opinion about it
Making love in the 9th month of pregnancy is one of the methods of naturally inducing labor. It releases oxytocin (a hormone that induces and maintains labor) - so doctors sometimes recommend that parents have intercourse if delivery is delayed. It is true that there is no compelling evidence for this, but it is always worth trying if your due date has passed. Semen contains prostaglandins, substances that cause the cervix to open up. Of course, it will only work when there is time to give birth. The cervix becomes sensitive to the hormones in the semen only after 38-39. week of pregnancy.
Contraindications to intercourse during pregnancy – when not to have it
The main contraindication to having sex is a high-risk pregnancy. The doctor may also abstain in other situations.
Intercourse during pregnancy - contraindications:
multiple pregnancy
cervical failure
early delivery ahead of schedule.
vaginal bleeding
drainage of amniotic fluid
leading or low descending placenta
sexually transmitted disease in either partner (in this case, consumation in a condom is recommended).
Positions
First trimester - Passion in the first trimester of pregnancy is possible in any position. At this stage, the woman's belly does not yet make intercourse difficult. At the beginning of pregnancy, however, the pregnant woman may not want to have intercourse. This is the time when her body undergoes a huge revolution - as a result, she is often irritable, tired and may suffer from nausea.
Second trimester - Second trimester pregnancy can be a lot of satisfaction. It may be more difficult to find a comfortable position for intercourse at this stage.
The third trimester of pregnancy is the time when weight and a large belly make it difficult to find a comfortable position. Those that require a woman to lie on her stomach are omitted, and those that require more activity than a woman may be too tiring for her. In addition, there are concerns as to whether intercourse will harm the baby.
Calm down: intercourse in the third trimester of pregnancy is completely safe! If you need physical intimacy, you can have make love with your partner as often as you both like. However, pregnancy must be normal. Partners must be careful and avoid certain positions and practices. It is recommended, inter alia, resignation from the classic position in which the partner could compress the woman's abdomen and breasts.
Problems with Intercouse during pregnancy
- Lack of desire during pregnancy
During pregnancy, especially in the first months, some women may complain of low libido. It is difficult to exude eroticism when you fall asleep standing up or feel constantly nauseous. It also happens that even after these unpleasant ailments pass after the first trimester, the desire begins to weaken due to pain in the spine and an uncomfortable large abdomen. Future mothers may also be afraid that the changes taking place in their bodies have made them unattractive - and thus they lose the desire for intercourse.
Remember, intimacy between partners can be achieved not only through intimate contact. If you or your partner do not feel ready for intercourse and penetration, you can show affection in another way: caress each other with your lips, kiss each other for a long time, massage each other (make sure that massage oil can be used by pregnant women!) Or after by simply hugging while watching your favorite movie.
According to psychologists, a pregnant woman's sensual life may be influenced by how she reacted to the news about pregnancy. If the pregnancy surprised her, the woman feels that it means the end of her freedom and career, and she may subconsciously transfer her bitterness and reluctance onto her partner. Some women also have lower libido when they finally manage to get into the long-awaited pregnancy.
- Fear of losing attractiveness in the eyes of the partner
If you're worried that you've stopped attracting your partner, think about it, are you sure that's what he thinks? Sometimes the future dad feels uncomfortable with his pregnant partner, especially if he has not had contact with young children so far or you are the first pregnant woman in the family. A man may be less spontaneous because he subconsciously fears that he will do something to his partner or child. It's worth talking about how you feel. It usually helps.
- Breast soreness
The pregnant woman's bust is enlarged and very sensitive. Therefore, the partner must remember this and refrain from daring caresses of the breasts. The woman, from the outset, should clearly let her partner know what touch she enjoys, and when the caress becomes too intense.
- Oral stimulation in pregnancy
During oral intimacy, which is not forbidden during pregnancy, the partner should be careful not to blow air into the pregnant woman's privates. Pressurized air into the vagina can cause air embolism (a very rare complication) that can be dangerous for both women and babies.
- Passion during pregnancy with a condom
Please read the package leaflet carefully before using a condom. Condoms that have the appropriate approvals and have been tested, are completely safe for the baby and mother (even those with spermicide). Spermicides have no effect on the implanted embryo in the uterus.
If you have not experienced an allergic reaction to a particular type of condom before pregnancy, you can still use it during pregnancy.
Written by Katherine Imiolek
