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Sex During Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be a confusing time, especially if it is your first baby. Your body changes so drastically, your emotions vary so much - your whole life will be completely different in nine short months. It's hard to always know what you should and shouldn't do, and what you can expect is slightly different for every woman. For men, it will be a time when you may become perplexed by all the changes going on in your lives together as well. The issue of sex during pregnancy is no less confusing. Many people don't talk about it that much, as it can be uncomfortable to discuss with your family or your friends.

When it comes to sex, let me begin by saying lovemaking is safe during pregnancy. Unless you are at risk of having a preterm baby, or another serious medical condition resulting in your doctor advising you to cease having intercourse, many couples find that they continue to have sex all the way through the pregnancy.

First off, sex is definitely different during pregnancy from both a physical and psychological perspective. One of the big differences is that most women feel a greater need for intimacy and affection during pregnancy. You will want to cuddle more, hold hands more, and lie in bed just talking more often. Because of all of the changes in hormone levels, pregnant women can be moody, going from elation to tears in under 60 seconds. You will need extra reassurance from your partner, you are going through a very mystifying time and may need help dealing with all the emotions that you are experiencing. It can be pretty scary having all of those strange new things happening in your body! Also, now that you are carrying a baby, you have much invested in the relationship and can feel vulnerable and may need your partner to prove his love, as you are doing for him.

It is pretty common during the first few months of pregnancy for a woman's sex drive to decrease slightly. This has a lot to do with the fact that most women aren't feeling quite up to par. During these months, nausea and fatigue are quite prevalent. It is pretty hard to get in the mood when all you are trying to do is not throw up. Another factor is that a good number of women experience extreme sensitivity and tenderness in their breasts during the first trimester and certainly don't want them touched. Many often experience some degree of cramping during these months as well. If sex feels very uncomfortable, it might not be simple cramping, but perhaps a vaginal infection of some sort, which obviously should be checked out by your physician. It therefore stands to reason the more uncomfortable a woman feels, the more her sex drive will diminish.

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