Although women have less sex as their pregnancy progresses, they don’t enjoy the experience any less, new research shows.

“We’ve studied men’s sexual health for many years, and we have not studied women’s sexual health, concerns, issues and problems in the past, and there’s a gender information gap,” said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, in which this new study was recently published. “This kind of study helps narrow that gap and provide information on the real behavior of real women, and gives us a sense of what to expect.”

Goldstein is director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego.

The authors of this new study, out of Lisbon, Portugal, asked 188 women aged 17 to 40 to fill out a questionnaire the day they were discharged from the hospital after the birth of a child.

Almost half (44.7 percent) of women said that their most frequent sexual intercourse took place during the first trimester of the pregnancy. A little more than one third (35.6 percent) said sex was most frequent in the second trimester.

Only 10 percent said that the most frequent sexual activity occurred in the third trimester, while 55 percent said that sex decreased at this point.

But the majority of women — 80.1 percent — said they did have intercourse at this later stage of the pregnancy. And almost 40 percent of women said they had sex during the birth week.

Roughly half of all women said there had been no change in their sex life during the first or second trimesters.

Almost one-quarter (23.4 percent) of women admitted they were afraid that sex would hurt the baby.

In the course of researching her book, The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book, Dr. Marjorie Greenfield said that this fear sometimes came from the male partner.

“One woman said that she felt like having sex, but her husband was uncomfortable about the idea,” said Greenfield, who is division chief of general obstetrics & gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. “Some men say they feel the baby is watching them or that they are going to hurt the baby.”

About half of the women in the survey said their sexual satisfaction remained the same throughout the pregnancy while a lesser proportion — 27.7 percent — said it declined. Sexual desire was the same in 38.8 percent and down in 32.5 percent of the participants.

The most common type of sexual activity was vaginal (performed by 98.3 percent), followed by oral sex (38.1 percent) and anal sex (6.6 percent). About one-fifth of women said they masturbated during pregnancy.

More than 40 percent of women said they felt less attractive while they were expecting, but three-quarters said they sensed no decrease in sexual interest from their husband or partner.

In general, the authors and other experts stated, sex during pregnancy is not dangerous.

“A lot of people think it causes abortions in the third trimester or damage to the child, but regular penal-vaginal intercourse is not an issue,” Goldstein said, adding that there can be issues with air embolisms during oral sex and infections during anal sex.

And there are some people for whom sex during pregnancy can be unsafe, said Greenfield, including women with placenta previa, when the placenta lies lower in the uterus.

“Bumping into the placenta under those circumstances can cause the mom to hemorrhage,” she said.

“But for your average person, there’s only one sex act that has an increased risk for women who are pregnant,” she added. “There have been fatalities if air is blown into vagina. Anything that forces air into the vagina is not safe.”

“It’s important to recognize that desire and self-image and variables such as hormonal changes and tiredness and concern for children really affect women’s sexual drives and functions, especially as they go to the third trimester,” Goldstein said. “It’s OK to expect changes in sexual function during the pregnancy.”

(HealthDay News, March 2010)

Placenta previa is usually not a problem early in the pregnancy. But if it persists later into the pregnancy, it can cause bleeding, which may require you to deliver early and can lead to other complications. Many cases of placenta previa in the later stages of the pregnancy result in a c-section.

If the placenta covers the cervix completely, it’s called a complete or total previa. If it’s right on the border of the cervix, it’s called a marginal previa. If the edge of the placenta is within 2 centimeters of the cervix but not bordering it, it’s called a low-lying placenta. The location of your placenta will be checked during your midpregnancy ultrasound exam.

• Placenta previa
• Premature labor in this pregnancy (even if it has stopped)
• Unexplained vaginal bleeding or discharge
• Abdominal cramping
• Cervical insufficiency
• A dilated cervix
• Ruptured membranes (your water has broken)
• You or your partner has an outbreak of genital herpes or feel one coming on. Also avoid intercourse and other genital contact for the entire third trimester if your partner has a history of genital herpes, even if he has no sores or symptoms. The same applies to receiving oral sex if he has oral herpes.
• Other sexually transmitted infections

There are other situations in which you may be advised to not have sex. For example, if you had a spontaneous preterm birth in a previous pregnancy, she will probably advise you to stop having sex at some point during this pregnancy, and possibly for the whole pregnancy until you reach 37 weeks.

Whatever your situation, don’t be shy about talking about sex with your practitioner. If she has advised you not to have sex, be sure you understand whether she’s just talking about intercourse, or about putting anything in your vagina, or about any activity that may bring you to orgasm.

If you notice any unusual symptoms during or following intercourse, such as pain or discharge, be sure to let your practitioner know. If you can’t have sex, don’t despair: You can still kiss, give each other long massages, and share your feelings for each other.

• Lie sideways. Lying partly sideways allows your partner to keep most of his weight off your uterus which will definitely be more comfortable for you.
• Use the bed. Your belly isn’t an obstacle if you lie on your back at the side or foot of the bed with your knees bent, and your bottom and feet perched at the edge of the mattress. Your partner can either kneel or stand in front of you.
• Spoon it. Lie side-by-side in the spoon position, which allows for only shallow penetration. Deep thrusts can become uncomfortable as the months pass.
• Get on top. When you’re on top of your partner, it puts no weight on your abdomen and allows you to control the depth of penetration.
• Sit down. Have your partner enter you from a sitting position, which also puts no weight on the uterus. Try sitting on your partner’s lap as he sits on a sturdy chair.

Don’t worry and have faith! With a little experimenting, you and your partner are sure to find a technique that works for you.

You may feel more like a woman and sexier than ever. But maybe you’re just too tired or nauseated to make love, especially in the first trimester. The second trimester is often marked by a resurging libido. Your desire may decrease again in the third trimester as birth and labor are on your mind and your belly got large. You may simply feel unattractive or tired.

Changes in desire are common for men and women during this time of major life change. When it comes to sex, your changing body may be the source of a lot of conflict and confusion. Your partner may find the pregnant female form arousing but he might not dare to do anything sexual because he’s worried that you’re feeling unattractive. On the other hand, you may be feeling sexier than ever but you don’t want to initiate anything sexual because you’re afraid that your partner won’t be attracted to you anymore.

Dad-to-be sex

In the first trimester your pregnancy might make your partner more excited than ever. Getting a woman pregnant can make him feel like a fully functional man and this will give him confidence. A lot of dads-to-be feel closer to their wives than ever before. That feeling is often expressed erotically.

For some dads the pregnancy make them very conscious about what’s happening inside the mother’s body. Their view of the mother’s body may change towards ‘functional’ , rather than sexy and exciting. As a result, some dads-to-be may not get in the mood as easily as before.

Most men find their partner’s growing body to be the essence of femininity and attractive.

What you can do

The solution is not so surprising. You need to talk about your feelings and desires, as you always should. You’ll also need to be creative about how to keep enjoying each other. Having sex is an important thing and is a perfect way to spend time together. It is also proven to be relaxing, so what more could you want? Don’t be afraid to try other positions that may be more comfortable such as rear entry, side-by-side, or the woman on top.

If having sex is causing more pain than pleasure, there are other ways for you to both get sexual satisfaction. It may be the perfect time to re-explore manual sex. Mutual masturbation, oral sex or vibrators can be just as much fun as actual intercourse.

Some women may have abdominal cramps during or after intercourse. Your breasts may become enlarged and can be more tender, which can cause discomfort. You may have more vaginal discharge or moistness, which can make sex either more pleasurable or can result in some vaginal irritation.

If you notice a sudden change in the amount of vaginal discharge or a foul or unusual odor, check with your doctor. You could have a vaginal infection or your bag of waters may have broken. When your water breaks, you may feel a slow leak rather than a gush of fluid all at once.

As long as your pregnancy is normal, you won’t hurt the baby by making love regardless of the position you choose. Your baby may notice something when you’re having an orgasm but it’s because of your heart pounding, not because he or she knows what’s happening or feels pain.

Your baby is surrounded by fluid, and protected by your uterus and a layer of muscles. The mucus plug inside your cervix helps guard against infection. In certain circumstances you may have to modify your activity or abstain from sex altogether for part or all of your pregnancy.