How pregnancy affects your sex drive

I want to talk about pregnancy and libido. Unfortunately, pregnancy seems a lot more glamorous than it actually is—and the same is true for our sexual function. There’s this myth out there that, for some reason in pregnancy, libido goes wild, and you’ll want sex and it will be fabulous.

For some women, that may be true—but for most women I would say it’s not. So let’s talk about the normal changes in pregnancy, and how that might affect you desire and your sexual function.

In the first trimester, a lot of women are just miserable. They are having extreme fatigue, maybe some nausea and vomiting, and breast tenderness. All these things make women have less desire for sex, and less frequent sex, during the first trimester.

In addition, your partner might be worried about hurting the tiny embryo, which can really affect how your partner feels about having sex as well.

In the second trimester, the results are mixed. Some women want to have more sex, and some women are neutral or want less sex. It’s kind of all over the place.

In the third trimester, things can really get interesting. First, the weight of the baby in the pelvis can really cause a lot of discomfort and pain, especially with sex. In addition, it can be harder to have an orgasm. Maybe you’re having some vaginal dryness, or maybe everything is really uncomfortable and kind of awkward, because of the weight of the baby.

There are some things you can try to help manage this. This includes trying different positions, or you may want to bring in a sex toy, like a vibrator. Or you could try a support pillow that’s made to help you have sex easier and with less pain.

A really important part of sex and pregnancy is communication with your partner. Something that feels good on Monday might feel terrible on Friday, and there’s no way to know until you try. There’s also no way for your partner to know until you tell him or her. It’s a really important opportunity to improve and engage in sexual communication with your partner. This can take your relationship to a new level of intimacy and trust that you may not have even known was there.

Just know that these changes are normal and temporary. The best thing to do is to have open and honest communication with your partner.