Sex During the First Trimester – Making Love in Early Pregnancy

While pregnancy gives you memories for a lifetime, it also comes with a plethora of doubts, fears, and uncertainties. This is especially true for first-time mothers-to-be. A doubt that may keep surfacing is whether you can continue having sex even during pregnancy. Sex is an essential part of life, and it cannot and should not be neglected. To know if it is safe to have sex in the first trimester of pregnancy and the following ones while keeping your baby and yourself safe, we recommend giving the following post a read. To be on the safer side of your pregnancy, we shall also discuss the dos and don’ts related to sex in the early trimesters for expecting couples.

How Your Sex Life Changes in the First Trimester?

In the first trimester, your hormones fluctuate, and appetite and blood flow increase. The oestrogen and progesterone levels also increase. Hormonal changes, exhaustion, queasiness and breast sensitivity can all contribute to a lowering of your sex drive.

However, there are some women for whom pregnancy invokes body positivity. Fuller breasts, rounded hips, and a voluptuous figure can persuade them to initiate sex more often.

Is It Safe to Have Sex During the First Trimester?

Yes, sex in the early stages of pregnancy is safe if the right precautions are taken. This is what makes sex during the first trimester safe:

• Your uterus has strong muscles, which strike out the possibility of a miscarriage. During intercourse, the penis does not go beyond the vagina, so your baby is safe. Ensure that your man doesn’t bring his weight down upon your stomach.
• Also, contrary to popular belief, sexual stimulation or orgasm doesn’t induce labour pain. While orgasm may cause mild uterine contractions, these rarely lead to labour.

Why Do Pregnant Women Not Feel Like Making Love in Their First Trimester?

If you are also averted from the idea of lovemaking in your first trimester, then don’t worry; you are not alone. Many women in their early trimesters, especially the first trimester, avoid sex. What’s the reason behind it? Let’s uncover it:

• The fear and anxiousness that sex could harm the baby or cause a miscarriage is very common among expecting couples.
• Early pregnancy symptoms, mainly morning sickness, nausea, and vomiting, can leave you despise closeness and even sex.
• With too much hormonal activity and blood flow in the body, you can frequently become exhausted, leaving no desire for sex.
• Hormonal changes can also alter your mood swings and make you cranky, despising the things that you once liked.
• Frequent bathroom visits are enough to leave you with no desire for sex altogether.
• Tender and swollen breasts can affect your sex drive.

Remember, sex is not the only way to feel intimate or loved with your partner. When first-trimester sex is off the charts, you can still move towards other forms of affection, such as cuddling, kissing, massaging each other, going on dinner dates, and more. Whatever you feel comfortable doing with your partner to share quality time together can be done apart from sex.

What Are the Benefits of Having Sex During Pregnancy?

What’s more, sex during pregnancy also has benefits. Some of these are:

1. Fitness

As sex burns calories, getting cosy with your partner can keep you physically active and fit.

2. Better Orgasms

Pregnancy increases blood flow to a woman’s genitals. So, having sex during the first trimester can give you better orgasms.

3. Happiness

It has psychological benefits, too. The release of endorphins during intimacy can make you feel relaxed, happy and better able to cope with the changes happening to your body.

4. Strong Relationship

Pregnancy can impact your sex life negatively and make your husband think that he won’t get as much sex as before. He may also refuse sex to avoid hurting the baby. But, as we mentioned above, sex during the first trimester is quite safe. So, initiate sex during pregnancy to keep your bond strong.

5. Good Sleep

While pregnancy has a plan to disrupt your sleep, sex can promote happy hormones to induce a relaxing sleep.

6. Reduces Stress

Intimacy with your partner can help you connect on an emotional level and leave tensions at bay. The endorphins released during sex reduce stress and anxiety.

When to Avoid Sex During Early Pregnancy (First Trimester)?

While intercourse in early pregnancy is usually safe for women, it’s not always the case. You should avoid sex during early pregnancy if:

• You have a history of miscarriages
• You feel nausea or overwhelming fatigue
• You’re pregnant with twins or multiple babies
• You have a low-lying placenta 
• You have cervical insufficiency (a condition wherein the cervix is not strong enough)
• Your partner has Hepatitis B or genital herpes, it may get transmitted to the baby via your body

Best and Safe Sex Positions for the First Trimester

1. Woman on Top

When the woman is on the top, there’s no pressure on the belly. This early pregnancy sex position ensures that neither you nor your baby is affected. You can also control the depth of penetration.

2. On the Side of the Bed

You can lie on the edge of the bed with your knees bent while your husband stands facing you. This is similar to the classic missionary position. You don’t have to worry about him resting his body weight on you.

3. On the Couch

Kneel on a couch with your belly facing its back and allow him to penetrate from behind.

4. Spooning

Lying side-by-side in a spooning position allows shallow penetration.

Sex Positions You Should Avoid During the First Trimester

Not all sex positions are safe during pregnancy. Sex during the 1st trimester should be done wisely with proper knowledge. Here are a few sex positions that are best avoided during early pregnancy:

1. Standing Position

The couple stands facing each other. The husband lifts his wife up, and she wraps her arms and legs around his body. This is a sex position you should avoid as it can exert pressure on the belly.

2. Missionary Position

If you want to do it in the missionary position, make sure you place a pillow under your belly.

Note: A lot of people use scented lubricants to make sex better. It is best to avoid these during the first trimester as they may cause harm to the lining of the vagina.

Things to Remember While Having Sex in the First Trimester

There are a few things you need to keep in mind before having intercourse during the first trimester. These are:

1.  Oral sex is safe.
2. Ensure your partner doesn’t blow air around your genital area, as this may cause an air embolism (blockage of the blood vessels by an air bubble).
3. Bleeding after sex is not normal. Consult a gynaecologist if this happens.
4. Cramps during sex and orgasm are normal, but they shouldn’t happen after sex.
5. Avoid vigorous or rough sex to avoid any harm.
6. If you have a history of pregnancy complications, it is best to consult a doctor first before having sex in the first trimester.

Sex during pregnancy can be as pleasurable as before. You need to exercise caution when you indulge in sexual intercourse so that both you and the baby are safe from harm. It’s best to consult a gynaecologist to eliminate the chances of complications.

References/Resources:

1. Sex during pregnancy; March of Dimes; https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/pregnancy/sex-during-pregnancy

2. Sex in trimester one, two and three of pregnancy; NCT; https://www.nct.org.uk/pregnancy/relationships-sex/sex-trimester-one-two-and-three-pregnancy

3. Sex during pregnancy: What’s OK, what’s not; Mayo Clinic; https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/sex-during-pregnancy/art-20045318

4. Jones. C, Chan. C, Farine. D; Sex in pregnancy; CMAJ; PubMed; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21282311/; April 2011

5. Sex in pregnancy; NHS; https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/sex/

6. Sex During Pregnancy; Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health; Wiley Online Library; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jmwh.13351; March 2022

7. Sex During Pregnancy; Nemours KidsHealth; https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sex-pregnancy.html

8. Is it safe to have sex during pregnancy?; The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/is-it-safe-to-have-sex-during-pregnancy

Also Read:

Benefits of Sex during Pregnancy
Sex during Pregnancy 2nd Trimester
Sex during Pregnancy 3rd Trimester
How to Keep Your Sex Drive Alive during Pregnancy?