Sexuality in pregnancy

Sexuality is a source of health, pleasure, affection, intimacy, sensuality, creativity… And it is present throughout our lives, although it manifests itself differently depending on the stages of life we go through. Two of the most important stages in the life of women and their partners are pregnancy and the postpartum period, and here, as at other times, sexuality has its own expression.

Many couples have doubts about sexuality during pregnancy Will having sex pose any problem for pregnancy? Will my baby notice? Will pregnancy change our sex life? Despite the fact that nowadays there is so much talk about sexuality and it seems that everything has been said, pregnancy is still a stage in which sexuality does not seem to exist, is not talked about or informed, and this often generates uncertainty. That is why it is so important that there is a lot of communication between the couple and that both know who and where to go if they have doubts about it.

The factors that have to do with the sexuality of the pregnant woman and her partner are multiple. During pregnancy, the couple’s sexual desire may or may not change. It can be increased, decreased or even unmodified. Each person is unique and the influence of hormones throughout pregnancy means that sexual desire can be modified. Some pregnant women feel more attractive and feminine and that gives them security, and therefore, they experience pregnancy from sensuality. For others, on the other hand, weight gain, fatigue, the uncertainty of this new stage and hormones cause their desire to decrease.

Although, as we have mentioned, not all women suffer the same changes in their bodies, in general there are some common denominators:

1st Trimester:

During orgasm, you may feel some slight discomfort in the uterus
The labia majora and minora may be more puffy
More blood vessels appear in the vagina, so it is possible that there is a small amount of bleeding during penetration, due to the rupture of one of these (it is not worrying and should not be confused with uterine bleeding)

2nd Trimester:

Sexual appetite usually increases, since the discomfort has disappeared and the new change is assimilated
Orgasm is more easily achieved

3rd trimester:

Difficulty getting a comfortable posture
The vagina takes longer to deflate after orgasm
Oxytocin is a hormone present both in orgasm and in labor contractions, so it is normal that after orgasm there is some small contraction (usually not painful) that is not considered childbirth, it is called Braxton Hicks contraction

Not all women are the same, nor do they suffer the same changes, nor do they feel things the same… And nothing is better or worse. You simply have to understand that Hormonal changes during pregnancy produce disparate effects on the sexuality of pregnant women, while some women increase their libido and others suffer the opposite effect. The most important thing of all is to talk about it with the couple and that both accept these changes and modify if necessary, their previous vision of sexuality. Although during pregnancy you can enjoy sexuality a lot (after all, sex was the beginning of this stage that awaits both of you) the woman has to feel totally free to recognize if her sexual appetite has decreased and not feel judged.

Finally, it is very important that the pregnant woman preserves her erotic and orgasmic capacity. La primera, contribuye a mejorar su autoestima (más allá de los cambios) y la armonía conyugal; y la segunda, ayuda a mantener la elasticidad y la flexibilidad de los músculos pélvicos, tan necesarias para el parto.

Naiara Celades and Ana Muñoz
Sisters-in-law among them and Graduates in CAFyD, specialists in pre and postpartum fitness and hypopressive abdominal gymnastics.

naiara@mamifit.es
Representative of MAMIfit.Barcelona

ana.munoz@mamifit.es
Representative of MAMIfit.Huesca