PARENTHOOD: SEX AND PREGNANCY
One of the biggest decisions we make in our adult years is whether or not to have a child. Deciding to have children brings with it a huge responsibility for another’s life. How to be a parent is not something that we learned in school. Most of what we learn about parenting we learn from our own parents. We really do not get a lot of formal training.
We need to know about equality, health care, discipline, understanding behavior, dealing with anger, praising, setting limits, and belonging—whether or not we were taught them by our parents! Becoming a parent is a life-altering decision that should be considered very carefully.
Being pregnant can have a big impact on a woman’s sexuality. Her sexual desire may increase or decrease while she is pregnant. It can vary from month to month or day to day. Hormone levels are constantly changing. In the first trimester, nausea, breast tenderness, and fatigue may make a woman less interested in having sex. In the second trimester, she may have increased sexual desire because her body is adjusting and becoming more balanced. Overall, there is a general decrease in sexual interest throughout pregnancy, with the lowest interest in the third trimester.
If a pregnancy is proceeding normally and the woman is healthy, health care providers will generally advise that sexual intercourse can safely be enjoyed up until the last four weeks of pregnancy. Sexual intercourse should be discontinued immediately if the woman experiences vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, or any other symptom of miscarriage, or if her water breaks.
Experimenting with your partner will allow you to figure out which sexual positions are most comfortable. It may be necessary to find or modify some positions. The so-called missionary position of man on top may be uncomfortable if you are pregnant. Side by side, woman on top, and rear entry might prove to be more comfortable. Oral sex and manual genital stimulation as well as touching each other’s body and holding may also be satisfying. Condoms should be used to prevent sexually transmitted infections if either partner has been diagnosed with one.
Intimacy, eroticism, and sexual satisfaction can increase and continue during pregnancy. Being sensitive to and aware of a woman’s changing body and feelings, as well as accepting the need for adjustment, can add excitement to your sexual relationship.
Why do some pregnant women enjoy sex and others don’t? A decrease in sexual interest can be caused by physical discomfort during sex, feeling big and unattractive, or fear of hurting the fetus. Later in the pregnancy, an increased awareness of the fetus can make sex feel like a gathering of too many people!
Some women become more sexual during pregnancy. They may feel more womanly and less inhibited. The heightened awareness of their bodies can increase their sensuality. During pregnancy, there is increased flow of blood to the genitals. This increase can heighten sexual desire and response for some women.
*80/155/5*
