Sex during pregnancy depends primarily on the knowledge of the couple about pregnancy sex safety. It might come as a complicated matter for some mothers and fathers-to-be, but the couple must be made to understand that sex during pregnancy will not cause any damage to their health or the baby.
Pregnancy brings normally with it a lot of bodily changes, one of which is an increased libido. Starting from the first to the third trimester, you will expect to see a lot of fluctuations in a pregnant woman’s libido. It is advisable to adapt to the changes in your body and indulge in lovemaking with your partner because of its benefits and poses no harm whatsoever to you and your baby.
Benefits of Having Sex While Pregnant Unknown To The Couple?
1. Orgasms Can Be Intensified
During pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone are the two main hormones that are released and these help women experience better orgasms. Increased estrogen level in the blood leads to more blood flow to the pelvic area, thereby arousing a woman. And because increased sensitivity in the area helps women achieve better orgasms easily, longer and stronger. Apart from experiencing increased orgasms and increased sex drive during pregnancy, the chemical released from the brain also helps to ease pain and increase immunity.
2. Sex Is Indirectly An Exercise
Engaging in sex is indirectly engaging in exercise. You exercise the muscles of the waist, legs, hands, etc. during active sex, and this helps burn out calories. Burning out small, small calories of fat can help lower blood pressure. One of the benefits of sex during pregnancy is been noticed in the area of sleep. You just find yourself more relaxed after sex, and you’ll fall asleep easily.
3. It Helps To Strengthen The Pelvic Floor Muscles
The strength of the pelvic muscles is been determined during vaginal delivery, and sex during pregnancy helps to achieve this. Especially in the 3rd trimester, sex during pregnancy helps strengthens the pelvic floor muscles. Women should have regular sex during pregnancy as this also helps keeps these muscles toned, and strong, and prepared them to deal with the task of a vaginal delivery.
4. Enhanced Self-Confidence
Because women experiences changes in their body during pregnancy couples with fluctuating hormones, some feel differently about their body. Many women feel and think that they are no more attractive when they are pregnant. These thoughts are just negative. Pregnancy brings its type of beauty unknown to the woman but appreciated by their spouse. But frequent sexual intercourse with your partner can help boost your self-esteem, make you feel like yourself again, and brings you closer to your partner.
5. Fewer bathroom breaks
Sex during pregnancy helps the mother to minimize frequent visits to the bathroom to urinate. Some pregnant women even leak urine when they sneeze or laugh. And as the baby grows and gets bigger, pressure is exerted on the bladder and this makes it more uncomfortable resulting in frequent visits to the bathroom to pass urine. The good news is that sex during pregnancy helps to strengthen the pelvic muscles in readiness for labor and can also help to prevent the unnecessary flow of urine.
6. Complication prevention
According to a Danish study, frequent sex during pregnancy may help prevent preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a complication in pregnancy that has the possibility of affecting about 5% of all women and it is characterized by hypertension which also affects the lining of the blood vessels of the kidney, lungs, brain, and liver. It can also lead to multiple organ failure, convulsions, coma, and possibly death. Some research studies believe that there is a specific protein found in sperm that can regulate and strengthen the women’s body’s immune system. Because the causes of preeclampsia are not scientifically proven, women while pregnant are always advised to attend the prenatal clinic to avoid any complications.
7. Lowered blood pressure
Sex during pregnancy helps lowers blood pressure. During sex, hormones are released after post-orgasm, and this helps the entire body goes into a relaxed state. The relaxed state can promote sleep which eventually has the possibility of decreasing blood pressure. High blood pressure during pregnancy can be serious for both you and your baby. Since sex during pregnancy can lower blood pressure, why not enjoy yourself and achieve a healthy pregnancy life that will be beneficial both to you and your baby?
8. Stress reduction
Sex during pregnancy acts as stress reduction therapy. All the worries during pregnancy like work, finances, labor, baby safety, and how your life will change after your baby is born, etc., are normal, but oxytocin, the love hormone that your body releases after an orgasm, helps to cushion some of the stress of pregnancy and this also enables you to sleep better.
9. It Aids Circulation In the Body
Sex during pregnancy helps to aid good and proper blood circulation. Due to the requirements of the mother and the growing baby, the blood supply doubles during pregnancy to meet their needs. Since sex is indirectly an exercise, it thus activates the cells of the body to function at the optimal level, thereby increasing blood circulation. And increased blood circulation promotes an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrition to the fetus which in turn helps in the growth and development of the baby.
10. Improves and Boosts Immunity
Sex during pregnancy helps to boost and improve immunity. It is a fact that immunity can often dwindle in a pregnant woman, and that is the reason why health practitioners always prescribe a healthy diet and lifestyle to pregnant women so that they can avoid illness and have a safe delivery. Research studies believe that sexual activity increases the levels of IgA antibodies thus resulting in improve immunity and providing resistance to infections.
11. It Improves Bonding Between Couples
Sex during pregnancy improves the bonding between couples. There is a release of endorphins during sex in pregnancy and this helps to reduce stress levels thus providing safety for the baby and mother. Sex during pregnancy also increases the production of oxytocin, and this hormone is naturally responsible for attachment and love. So if you have sex frequently with your spouse, oxytocin can help stimulate better bonding and intimacy between partners.
12. Accelerates Postpartum Recovery
Orgasm achieved during sex while pregnant helps to strengthen and prepare the pelvic muscles for birth and also speeds up postpartum recovery. Any woman who cannot involve herself with kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles can achieve a similar result in frequent sex while pregnant.
13. Aids in Inducing Labour and Easy Delivery
Regular sex during pregnancy helps in pelvic muscle contraction and opens the cervix. This helps in vaginal delivery and makes the process of labor. Some health providers even advise having sex closer to your date of delivery as this helps to induce labor.