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Sexual activity during pregnancy

Overview of sexual activity while expecting a child

Overview of sexual activity while expecting a child

File:Vaginal_sex_during_pregnancy.svg|thumb|right|Four positions for vaginal sex which are easier during pregnancy than the missionary position rect 0 0 250 205 :en:Spooning rect 260 0 512 205 Cowgirl rect 0 225 250 424 :en:Reverse cowgirl rect 260 225 512 424 :en:Doggy style desc bottom-left Most women can continue to engage in sexual activity during pregnancy, including sexual intercourse. Most research suggests that during pregnancy both sexual desire and frequency of sexual relations decrease. In the context of this overall decrease in desire, some studies indicate a second-trimester increase, preceding a decrease during the third trimester.

Sex during pregnancy is a low-risk behavior except when the healthcare provider advises that sexual intercourse be avoided for particular medical reasons. For a healthy pregnant woman, there are a variety of safe ways to have sex during pregnancy.

Desire and frequency

Most research suggests that, during pregnancy, sexual desire and frequency of sexual relations decrease.{{cite journal|title=Sexual behavior and activity in Chinese pregnant women|author=Wing Yee Fok |author2=Louis Yik-Si Chan |author3=Pong Mo Yuen|journal=Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica|volume=84|issue=10|pages=934–938|date=October 2005

Safety

Sex during pregnancy is a low-risk behaviour except when the physician advises that sexual intercourse be avoided, because it may, in some pregnancies, lead to serious pregnancy complications or health issues such as a high risk for premature labour or a ruptured uterus. Such a decision may be based upon a history of difficulties in a previous childbirth. However, it has been observed that evidence in this area is lacking and physicians' advice is more likely to be based on supposition than scientific knowledge.

Fetus protected by amniotic fluid

During pregnancy, the fetus is protected from sexual thrusting and unwanted semen by the amniotic fluid in the womb and by the cervical mucus plug in the woman's cervix, which forms shortly after conception.

Benefits

Psychological usefulness

Some studies in the 1980s and 1990s contend that it is useful for pregnant women to continue to be sexually active, specifically noting that overall sexual satisfaction was correlated with feeling happy about being pregnant, feeling more attractive in late pregnancy than before pregnancy, and experiencing orgasm. Sexual activity has also been suggested as a way to prepare for induced labor; some believe the natural prostaglandin content of seminal fluid can favor the maturation process of the cervix, making it more flexible, allowing for easier and faster dilation and effacement of the cervix. However, the efficacy of using sexual intercourse as an induction agent "remains uncertain".

Prevention of pre-eclampsia

There is tentative evidence for exposure to partner's semen as prevention for pre-eclampsia, largely due to the absorption of several immune modulating factors present in seminal fluid.

After pregnancy

Main article: Sex after pregnancy

Sexual intercourse after giving birth can begin when the couple is both ready. However, most American couples wait six weeks. Ovulation and thus pregnancy can begin before a return to regular menses.

References

References

  1. (2014). "Williams obstetrics". McGraw-Hill Education.
  2. (September 2006). "[Sexuality of pregnant women]". Ginekologia Polska.
  3. M.P. Bermudez. (2001). "Influence of the Gestation Period on Sexual Desire". Psychology in Spain.
  4. Khamis MA. (2007). "Influence of gestational period on sexual behavior". J Egypt Public Health Assoc.
  5. Moscrop A. (2012). "Can sex during pregnancy cause a miscarriage? A concise history of not knowing". British Journal of General Practice.
  6. [http://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/sex-during-pregnancy.aspx Sex During Pregnancy - March of Dimes]
  7. "Superfetation: Pregnant while already pregnant".
  8. [http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030515/2123.html Methods for Cervical Ripening and Induction of Labor - May 15, 2003 - American Family Physician]
  9. Sarah Robertson. "Research Goals --> Role of seminal fluid signalling in the female reproductive tract". link
  10. (2003). "Seminal 'priming' for protection from pre-eclampsia—a unifying hypothesis". Journal of Reproductive Immunology.
  11. (2008). "Pregnancy video". Channel 4.
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