It’s pretty normal to wonder if having sex during pregnancy will somehow hurt your baby. So we’ve asked resident expert, midwife Edwina Sharrock to give us the low-down on doing the baby dance, with a baby on board.
Ever since finding out that I’m pregnant, I have been too scared to have sex with my husband. It’s taken us a long time to get pregnant and I’m just petrified that something will go wrong. Is it safe to have sex during pregnancy?
The short answer, yes!
Is sex during pregnancy safe?
In general, it is safe to have sex when pregnant and can even be beneficial for a healthy pregnancy. It’s worth noting that there are a number of instances whereby your healthcare provider may advise that you abstain from sex during pregnancy.
Some of these reasons include:
- If your membranes have ruptured or if you are leaking amniotic fluid
- If you have any history of premature birth or preterm labour
- Your cervix has started opening prematurely, which is what’s known as cervical insufficiency
- You’ve experienced unexplained vaginal bleeding
- You have placenta previa – which is when your placenta partly or completely covers your cervix
- In some instances, if you’re pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets etc.)
In most cases though, continuing to have sex during pregnancy is absolutely OK and encouraged.
There will naturally be changes to your libido at different times throughout your pregnancy, with tiredness, morning sickness and hormones playing into how interested you are in being intimate with your partner at different times. This is totally normal and common, so don’t be worried if at times you simply don’t feel like it while at others you can’t keep your hands off your partner!
The most important thing is to communicate about how you’re feeling and be open to finding different ways to be intimate, especially during those last few weeks! It might be worth sharing this article with your partner – you’d be amazed at how many men are worried that they might break something or even hurt the baby. Put their mind at ease and reassure them that there’s nothing to be worried about.
Read next …
Want to know what else is perfectly safe during pregnancy? Here are a few popular articles that you might like to read next:
- Can I see the dentist while pregnant?
- Is it ok to eat a McFlurry when pregnant?
- Is it safe to get acrylic nails during pregnancy?
Join your pregnancy group
If you have more questions, why not join one of the closed Mum’s Grapevine pregnancy groups on Facebook? You can talk 24/7 with thousands of other mums all due around the same time as you.
Click below and join your group today!
Edwina Sharrock is a registered midwife and mother of two. She’s also the founder of Birth Beat – an online antenatal course that is simple, easy and convenient to watch from the privacy of your home. Birth Beat includes prenatal yoga, a complete prenatal course, plus breastfeeding, sleep and settle. All delivered to you in easy to watch videos.
