Many women fear that sex could harm their babies when pregnant. They think that sex will not be comfortable or enjoyable during pregnancy, and so try to avoid it. But this is not true.
Sex can be great during pregnancy and it cannot harm the baby in any way since it is protected in its amniotic fluid. It is however best to get clearance from your doctor before you engage in regular sex while pregnant. Even at that, there are some sex positions to avoid when you are pregnant.
Here are some of them:
Avoid oral sex during pregnancy
It is best to avoid oral sex during pregnancy because of the risk of blowing air into the vagina. Air embolism could result when air is blown into the vagina during oral sex.
This is when air bubbles block the blood vessels in the body, causing serious danger to the life of the baby and the health of the mother.
In simple language, oral sex could increase the risk of blowing air into the vagina which can create air bubbles that block blood vessels, endangering both mother and child.
Avoid anal sex during pregnancy
If you’d been having anal sex before pregnancy, then it is best you stop it during pregnancy.
Anal sex raises the risks of infection especially if it is interchanged with vaginal sex during the same session. What this means is that moving from anal sex to vaginal sex within the same sexual activity increases the chances of introducing dangerous germs from the rectum to the vagina, raising the dangers posed to the unborn baby.
Avoid the missionary position during advanced pregnancy
During advanced pregnancy, the missionary sex position must be avoided at all costs since this will be uncomfortable to the mother and risky to the baby.
When a man lies on top of a heavily pregnant woman in the missionary position without supporting his own weight, the womb or uterus will rest heavily on blood vessels, thinning blood flow to the placenta.
This may cut blood supply to the baby and even cause internal bleeding to the mother. Any position where the mother must lie on his back when the pregnancy is its second and third trimester must be avoided.
Avoid deep penetrations
When pregnancy is at an advanced stage, it is best to avoid sex positions that necessitate deep penetrations. These may require styles such as the turtle, on the lap, and anvil positions among others. When a woman is in her third trimester, all penetrations must be gentle and shallow.
All things being equal, any sex positions where the pregnant woman would not be in complete control is best avoided. This is to prevent discomfort to the woman and ensure minimal exposure to the baby.
Meanwhile, it is best to completely avoid sex in pregnancy if a woman has suffered premature labors in previous births; experienced vagina spotting or bleeding; having leaks from the amniotic sac; having multiple pregnancies; undergoing cervical incompetence and suffering placenta previa among other conditions.