Q: Hi Doc. I heard a CS in Dec 2013. Now pregnant but a friend told me to avoid sex during my 1st trimester so as not to miscarry the pregnancy. When I questioned this, she said she got the advice from a Doctor. Please advice me on this. I’m waiting for your swift response. Thanks

Q: Why are parents not allowed to carry a child after practising sex?

A: I’ve decided to treat these two questions together as I appear to be getting them very frequently. I will reproduce my past posts that speak to them.

Should you refrain from sexual intercourse during your first pregnancy? Well, if your doctor said so, you should and there will be reasons why your doctor would say so. What’s not okay is to take another woman’s antenatal clinic advice and apply it to yourself. It doesn’t work that way! The woman’s issues and medical history are very likely different from yours. Then I’m also worried about whether you have registered for antenatal care. This ‘counsel’ you’re getting from your friend should be coming from your own doctor. So, if you have not registered for antenatal care at this time, please do so as soon as possible!

My post on sex in pregnancy….
Sex is generally considered safe during pregnancy. As I noted in my post yesterday, except the doctor has noted some medical issues that may cause some restrictions on sexual intercourse, couples can generally continue to have sexual intercourse during pregnancy.

Having said that, it doesn’t mean that every woman wants to indulge 😀 Unfortunately, no. Some women do experience increased libido, some decreased libido and some are just completely exhausted by their itinerary (wife, worker, sister, daughter, intending mother, worries about the pregnancy or intending birth, care of already existing children, if she has them etc) that sex is the farthest thing on their minds, most times. So, where’s the solution or compromise? Communication lines between couples have to be open. The husband needs to understand what’s going on in the mind and body of his wife. Providing emotional and tangible support by helping her out with some chores/activities, providing a daily evening massage….which becomes something wifey can look forward to, can help create the right mood. Remember that for women, sexual Intercourse starts from the emotional before it gets to the physical 😀 Couples can also explore other means of sexual intimacy apart from sexual intercourse.

Some issues that may cause a doctor to issue some restrictions on sexual activity include:
Threat of a miscarriage
History of pre-term labour
Unexplained bleeding in pregnancy
Cervical incompetence (where the mouth of the womb is open leading to a risk of miscarriage) etc

If you’re not sure whether you belong to any of these groups or not, please ask your obstetrician.

Now, there also some risky activities during sexual intercourse in pregnancy:
 If you indulge in oral sex, hubby please do not blow into your wife’s vagina as this can lead to an air bubble being lodged in a blood vessel causing problems in mother and/or baby
 Having STI with an infected partner can lead to STI in pregnant mum. This infection can be transmitted to the baby. So, hubbies be sure that you stay faithful
 Anal sex is also discouraged.

Why are parents not allowed to carry babies after sexual intercourse? I have no idea! 😀 In fact, I’ve never heard it! Please feel free to carry your baby thereafter. Depending on what transpired during the sexual activity, you may want to take a bath before you carry your baby. Other than that, no issues 🙂

I hope y’all had a great day! It’s the first day of the 6th month. Don’t you just feel blessed to be ALIVE!!!

Have a good night, everyone 😀