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Do's and Don'ts

Adjust Your Sex Life for Pregnancy

Many women and couples worry that sexual activity may somehow harm the baby or harm the mother. In fact, there is no evidence that either is true in a healthy pregnancy. The baby is well protected by the muscle walls of the uterus and the sac of fluid the baby is floating in, cushions against any trauma. A protective mucus plug seals the cervix.

Later in pregnancy, it may be obvious that positions need to be adjusted for comfort during intercourse. The pregnant woman should not have the weight of another adult against her growing belly. This type of pressure should be avoided. The woman on top position or side by side may be more comfortable during pregnancy. Your own comfort is usually a good guide for sex during pregnancy.

Female arousal and orgasm does cause mild contractions in many women, but these are not strong enough to induce labor unless you’re very close to natural labor anyway. While sexual activity, nipple stimulation and orgasm won’t start labor unless the woman’s body is ready for labor to begin, it is a method encouraged by some clinicians to stimulate labor in full-term pregnancy. Male semen also carries prostaglandins that soften the cervix and hormones released by nipple stimulation cause the uterus to contract mildly.

Discuss sex and safety with your doctor. Avoid multiple sex partners, as this increases the risk of infections. Your doctor may want you to limit intercourse if there is an infection, bleeding, pain, or leaking of the amniotic sac. During the last three months of pregnancy intercourse may be restricted if you are carrying twins, or have had a previous pre-term birth. Following birth, you need to wait six or more weeks before sex is comfortable and safe again.

There are many different types of birth control and each is different in the way it’s used, effectiveness, and ability to protect against STD’s (sexually transmitted disease), side effects, and costs. Overall, your choice of birth control should depend on factors such as a your health, age, breastfeeding status, frequency of sexual activity, number of partners, and desire to have children in the future. Effectiveness and failure rates of the various types of birth control are key factors, too. (learn more about Birth Control information)