Can't get enough sex: Is this normal when pregnant?
As my pregnancy progresses I think I am getting randier! I dream about sex most of the night and wake up frustrated. At the same time, my husband is finding sex awkward, and my body less than attractive. Is this increased sexual desire normal?
Question:Peg Plumbo CNM
Peg Plumbo has been a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) since 1976. She has assisted at over 1,000 births and currently teaches in the... Read more
I would consider your "dilemma" to be quite normal in a healthy mutually satisfying relationship. After the discomforts of the first trimester pass -- and before the last few weeks when any kind of movement tends to be uncomfortable -- women often report that they enjoy sex and achieve orgasm much more easily in pregnancy.
If you have a supportive partner who feels you are still attractive, the psychological barriers can be laid aside. Physiologically, the increased blood flow to the pelvis, the uterus, vagina and clitoris is enhanced, which congests the pelvis a bit and makes orgasm more powerful. It can also cause a heightened libido.
Reassuring your partner that he cannot hurt you and enticing him to find alternative, more comfortable, positions for both of you might help. Sometimes having the woman on top is a better position so she can control the penetration.
If your partner isn't interested in sex when you are, masturbation is not harmful to you or your baby. Vibrators may be used as long as they are not placed in the vagina. Lubricants such as K-Y jelly or AstroGlide are good.
Of course, if a woman is at risk for pre-term labor or premature rupture of the membranes, she should abstain from intercourse and orgasm.
