Even though some women experience stronger orgasms and increased levels of excitement during pregnancy, many women report the reverse. Even though morning sickness, mood swings, sore breasts, and being tired are all common symptoms of pregnancy, your libido can also rise and fall. You may relax knowing that variations in sex drive during pregnancy are quite natural. Having sex with your partner (or yourself) may make you physically unable to control yourself at times, but at other points in your pregnancy, it may not even cross your mind or make you uncomfortable. However, it’s more probable that you’ll see that your libido fluctuates during your pregnancy.
Your body will go through a frenzy of brand-new emotions, sensations, and sentiments throughout pregnancy. Your blood flow is increasing and your hormone levels are changing. Many women also observe an increase in appetite and breast size. It’s critical to keep in mind that every woman’s pregnancy is unique. But there are certain recurring physical patterns. You may experience changes in your sex drive during pregnancy, mood, weight, food preferences, and sleeping patterns. I hope everything works out better for you.
Sex Drive During Pregnancy Some Ways to Change your Body 2022
Some rumours say that some pregnant women had “the best sex ever” because their pregnancy levels went up and the blood flow below their bellies got better. And it turns out that having sex while pregnant is worth getting past typical obstacles like fatigue, embarrassment, and fear. According to Yvonne K. Fulbright, Ph.D., a sex educator and coauthor of Your Orgasmic Pregnancy, “couples who don’t make love a priority now will simply find more reasons after the baby comes home.” The adage goes, “You’ll be a better parent if you’re happier in every part of your relationship, including your sex life.”
If you and your partner can overcome the following bedroom issues, you and your partner will be able to fully enjoy the pregnancy—and each other. There are a few general tendencies that define libido changes throughout pregnancy, even if every woman’s experience is different. A woman’s sex drive during pregnancy will often fluctuate during her pregnancy. In this article, we examine how sex drive during pregnancy often change throughout pregnancy.
Disagreements Pregnancy Excuses Sex
I’m too worn out
Early pregnancy is frequently accompanied by fatigue, which can swiftly ruin your sex life. Who wants to make bedroom eyes when they can hardly keep them open, after all? According to Roger Harms, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist and author of the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, “getting your body ready for pregnancy is a significant energy pull.” Prior to maternity leave, working late hours, sleepless nights, frantic nesting, and carrying around an additional 30 or more pounds may all be taxing. Try your best to take it easy and obtain the eight hours of sleep that are advised. Dr. Fulbright suggests that you use this time to try out other things that make you feel good, like oral sex, kissing, or massage, if you still don’t have the energy for sexual activity.
I feel unattractive
For some women, having an alien tummy that shouts “incubator” makes it difficult to unleash their inner sex kitten. You may need some time to get used to how your body is changing, but you are probably the hardest on yourself. Concentrate on your strongest points. If you have strong legs, flaunt them with slim jeans while covering up your back with a tunic. Naturally, improving your internal well-being via exercise and proper diet also fosters more self-confidence. And why not try adopting an optimistic outlook? Wendy Altschuler, a mother of two from Chicago, says that throughout her pregnancy she “truly came to love my body and respect what it was able to achieve.” “I felt confident and sexy because I was developing and sustaining a life.”
I worry that having sex may hurt the baby
It might be tempting to put a “Handle With Care” label on yourself before starting a romantic relationship while you are carrying a small living creature inside of you. However, experts agree that having a little fun is quite safe. OB-GYN Elisabeth Aron, M.D., an OB-GYN and the author of Pregnancy Do’s and Don’ts, asserts that having sex is risk-free during a healthy, normal pregnancy. Premature membrane rupture, placenta previa (when the placenta covers the cervix), and early indicators of preterm labour are the most frequent issues that can prevent sexual activity. Otherwise, consent is often provided for the entire pregnancy by the couple. This includes the first trimester, when some couples worry unnecessarily about what they do in bed out of a concern about miscarrying the child.
Dr. Harms asserts that having sex does not cause miscarriages. Kindra Kirkeby, who lives in Richmond, Virginia, and is a second-timer, knows this instinctively, which makes her sexual life less restrained. She claims we didn’t need to be cautious about this new item. In the third trimester when your belly is out-there, relaxing (and improvising!) are essential for good lovemaking during pregnancy. At this time, Dr. Fulbright tells the woman to sit on top or side-by-side, since neither of these positions puts stress on the abdomen.
It’s unpleasant to have sex
Try different positions, but stay away from sleeping flat on your back or putting pressure directly on your tummy.
According to Shannon Clark, M.D., an assistant professor in the OB-GYN department at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, “the ideal postures, especially as the pregnancy continues, are with the lady on top, either in bed or on a chair.” “Spooning” with her lover while lying on her side is another fantastic choice.
How to Boost Your sex drive during pregnancy
Buy Maternity Lingerie
Show off your new curves with gorgeous and practical intimates. There could be pregnant versions of some of your pre-pregnancy favourites.
Reserve a babymoon
Take into account a last-ditch babymoon trip, since sometimes all you need is a change of environment.
Hold a Pose
Having your picture taken could give you a fresh perspective on how your pregnant body looks. Jennifer Loomis, a family and maternity photographer whose work is in Portraits of Pregnancy: Birth of a Mother, suggests scheduling the session six to ten weeks before your due date. This is when your belly is visible but you aren’t too close to giving birth.
How may the sex drive change during pregnancy?
Numerous changes brought on by pregnancy may have an impact on a woman’s sex drive during pregnancy. A rise in blood flow to the genitals, higher amounts of oestrogen and progesterone, and higher levels of these hormones themselves might boost sexual desire. On the other hand, a woman’s desire for sex may decrease due to pregnancy-related symptoms including nausea, exhaustion, stress, and numerous bodily changes. Not every woman will respond to hormonal fluctuations in the same manner. However, a woman’s sex drive during pregnancy frequently declines in the first trimester, peaks in the second, and then declines once again in the third.
Initial trimester (weeks 0–13)
Some women report lower levels of both sexual desire and sexual pleasure during the first trimester. Stress, unpleasant physical symptoms, and high hormone levels can all make a woman’s libido go down. Human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that the placenta’s cells begin making once an embryo implants in the uterus’ wall (hCG). Other hormones, such as progesterone and oestrogen, are stimulated by this hormone. First-trimester hormonal fluctuations might lead to mood swings and sickness.
The following conditions can also have an impact on libido at this time:
- fatigue
- stress
- digestive issues
- ender breasts
However, some women might discover that fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone throughout the first trimester might boost their libido.
The second quarter (weeks 14–27)
Generally speaking, the second trimester is when most women’s libidos peak. The sixth week of pregnancy is when hCG levels reach their highest. After week 6, hCG levels start to fall, which usually results in less morning sickness and more energy. During the second trimester, oestrogen and progesterone levels also keep increasing to assist the developing foetus. Estrogen enhances blood flow to the vulva as well as vaginal lubrication. An increase in arousal, sensitivity, and enjoyment may result from these alterations.
Third trimester (weeks 28-40)
During the third trimester, women frequently encounter some of their greatest difficulties. Sexual activity might be more challenging when there is swelling, fast weight gain, tiredness, and bodily pains. Even though it’s normal, pain or discomfort during sexual activity might make you wonder about something. Trying several postures may help to address this problem. Women who want to have sex but find some forms of closeness unpleasant might want to think about alternative sorts of intimacy right now.
How to handle changes in your sexual relationship while pregnant
If you and your spouse are accustomed to having frequent sex but discover that during pregnancy you are having less sex, one or both of you may feel disappointed or angry. Instead of focusing on your sexual frustration, try to concentrate on improving your relationship.
Your connection can be strengthened by:
- Spending time together as a couple allows you to do things that you’ll have less time for once your baby is born, such as sleeping in or trying new restaurants.
- Talking about how you’re feeling with each other helps you both understand what the other is going through.
- Being patient with each other is also a virtue because these changes might be upsetting, but they won’t last forever.
What triggers changes in libido during pregnancy?
It’s your hormones’ fault. Changes in sexual desire can result from fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone. But your libido is also impacted by sickness, exhaustion, stress, and weight gain. (For instance, it’s difficult to feel seductive if your mind is always in the bathroom.) The good news is that most women do go through phases when they are anxious to be sexy with their boyfriends.
Enjoy your sensual impulses if your libido is increasing along with your tummy! Since pregnancy sex and orgasm can hasten postpartum recovery (by tightening your pelvic floor muscles) and enhance sleep and mood (it’s calming! ), they may also have health advantages for you and your baby.
Will pregnancy boost my sex drive during pregnancy?
This one ebbs and flows, as is typical with even the most severe pregnancy symptoms. Some pregnant women report that their sex drive during pregnancy increases and that they are almost always in a good mood. If your sex drive during pregnancy doesn’t truly increase noticeably, don’t worry. Every pregnancy is unique, and neither you nor your spouse are responsible for it.