Are you or your significant other expecting a baby? Congratulations, that is fantastic news! While this time in your life (whether or not it is your first pregnancy) is always a special and sacred one for your growing family, it can present some interesting issues when it comes to intimacy and sex. One of the most common questions that couples have during this time is “Can you have sex during pregnancy?”
It makes a lot of sense for these types of questions to come up during this time. Even though you need to have sex in order to get pregnant, surprisingly, visualizing sex during pregnancy can seem quite different. In all reality, sex IS somewhat different when you or your partner is pregnant. Let’s take a close look at the most common questions related to this topic and discuss whether sex is ok during pregnancy here:
Can you have sex during pregnancy?
The answer to this common question is a resounding “YES!” If your pregnancy is proceeding without complications, there should be no problem with you and your partner having sexual intercourse. However, don’t be surprised if you just happen to have less sex anyway. As a result of the hormonal changes that occur in a woman’s body during this precious period of life, many women report a change in their sexual urges.
Many women feel a heightened urge to have sex during their pregnancy while many others feel a lowered sexual desire. Don’t be alarmed by either though; these changes are quite natural. A pregnant woman’s body is making a ton of different changes to accommodate the needs of the growing baby. Bouts of nausea, emotional stress and fatigue are extremely common when the pregnant woman is dealing with these hormonal changes.
Can you harm the baby or have a miscarriage while having sex during pregnancy?
This is the primary concern of most people when first researching pregnancy-related sex. It is nearly impossible to harm the growing baby while having intercourse during a pregnancy. This is because the baby is protected by the strong walls of the pregnant woman’s uterus and the amniotic fluids that are inside her uterus. You can’t have a miscarriage while having sex during a pregnancy, either.
A miscarriage can only occur if the growing baby isn’t developing in a normal fashion. These developmental problems are primarily due to genetic or other health factors and cannot be caused by sexual intercourse.
Can having sex cause a premature birth?
Sexual intercourse is very unlikely to cause to premature birth, even as the due date approaches closer. Even though orgasms and prostaglandins in male ejaculate can cause contractions in the uterus, these contractions are not strong or severe enough to cause premature birth. However, your family health care professional may recommend a pregnant woman to not have sex if they have any predisposed risk of having premature labor.
Should a pregnant woman avoid having sex for any reason?
While sexual intercourse usually doesn’t cause any adverse reactions to the growing baby, there are a number of reasons you or your health care professionals may decide that you should avoid sex during your pregnancy. The primary reasons to be cautious include:
- If the pregnant woman is at risk for or has a history of premature birth
- If there is unexplained bleeding from the vagina
- If there is unexplained amniotic fluid leakage
- If you are expecting multiple babies
- If the pregnant woman’s cervix begins to open too early (this is a condition that is known as cervical incompetence)
- If the pregnant woman’s cervical opening is partially or completely covered by the placenta (this is a condition that is known as placenta previa)
Can we have oral or anal sex during a pregnancy?
Oral sex is perfectly safe during a pregnancy. There is only one possible danger that can occur if air is blown directly into the vagina. This could potentially cause an air embolism which could end up being a life-threatening condition for the pregnant woman and/or the baby.
Anal sex can be particularly stressful or painful if the pregnant woman isn’t used to it or has pregnancy-related hemorrhoids. As long you aren’t dealing with these issues, anal sex is perfectly safe. However, do not follow anal sex with vaginal sex without cleaning properly because this can cause dangerous bacteria to spread from the anal cavity to the vagina.
How soon can you have sex after the baby is born?
Having a baby is a traumatic event for the child-birthing mother. This is true whether or not the childbirth occurred vaginally or through a C-section procedure. Going through such a physically taxing situation will always require some extra healing time to get back to a normally functioning state. As a result of this, having sex should be delayed until the woman is fully healed. Most health care professionals will typically recommend a healing time of four to six weeks after the actual childbirth. Once you are cleared for sex, make sure you start slowly to ensure that everything has properly healed.
By now we hope that you clearly understand whether sex is ok during pregnancy. If you have any more questions or are looking for sexual entertainment, visit our website, today!