Signs You May Be Pregnant:
There are so many clues that try to scream at you, You are pregnant! Some are pretty common knowledge and others people forget to mention or just glaze over them. Lets dive in.
Nausea
Nausea during pregnancy is typically one of the most experienced and complained about symptoms that women report. Up to 70 percent of expectant mothers experience nausea at some point during early pregnancy.
My post on preventing nausea during pregnancygoes over specifically how to deal with this very thing. I know, everyone already talks about this, but no one talks about it enough!
I would consider this one of the MOST annoying aspects of being pregnant.
The absolute FIRST symptom that I noticed was gagging while brushing teeth. Brushing my teeth became super nauseating. I usually dont gag when I brush my teeth, but when I am pregnant, I can barely get through a 2 minute tooth brushing session.
Check out my post here on preventing nausea in pregnancy for my easy but super effective tips on keeping the nausea to a minimum like scraping your tongue FIRST before brushing your teeth.
Exhaustion
Some non-pregnant people will say have the nerve to tell you that pregnancy tired is NOT a thing. Well. . . It is SO REAL!
This is one of the common first symptoms of pregnancy. The sudden hormone shifts and, you know, growing a human causes extreme exhaustion.
Driving was scary. Once I had to pull over to close my eyes for 5 minutes so that I wouldnt slam into the car in front of me.
Dizziness
Sex In The Second Trimester
Womens sexual desire and habits vary in the second trimester too . During this stage, couples might find that they rekindle their sex life. Women may find that their libido increases because they’ve accepted their pregnant body , or it may decrease .
One study suggested that couples felt more secure and intimate in their love during pregnancy. They might isolate themselves to concentrate on their relationship. The same study also reported that one fifth of couples experience a ‘five-month crisis’. They suggested that this can happen as some women may turn inwards, which can make their partners feel isolated and that this can cause difficulties in their relationship .
On the plus side, the same study said one fifth of women discovered orgasm for the first time during their pregnancies. Many couples use womens increased sex drive to experiment sexually, for example with sexual positions, games, fantasies and other mutual pleasures .
Some couples dont feel comfortable with the idea of having sex during pregnancy and will decide not to. They might abstain from intercourse itself but still use other ways and means of feeling sexually satisfied in their relationship .
Morning Sickness Nausea And Vomiting During Early Pregnancy
Nausea and morning sickness usually develops around weeks 4 to 6. Although its called morning sickness, it can occur any time during the day or night. Its unclear exactly what causes nausea and morning sickness, but hormones may play a role.
During the first trimester of pregnancy, many women experience mild to severe morning sickness. It may become more intense toward the end of the first trimester, but often becomes less severe as you enter the second trimester.
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Symptoms Dwindle In The Second Trimester
Many of the body changes and symptoms of pregnancy you experience in the first trimester will start to fade once you reach the second trimester. Talk with your doctor about any symptoms that interfere with your daily life. Together, you can find relief and comfort for your pregnancy.
To receive week-by-week guidance about early pregnancy symptoms and more, sign up for our Im Expecting newsletter.
The Benefits Of Sex During Pregnancy
We already know that sex is good and has lots of mental and physical health benefits, but it turns out that there are some added pros of having sex during pregnancy.
As well as being a great way to show some love for your new shape and enjoy the changes to your body, its a great time to explore, as you might want to try new sex positions during pregnancy. And whilst you may struggle with the changes your body is going through, others may find your changing body amazing and beautiful, with added curves around the hips, chest and stomach to appreciate.
On top of the usual boost in feel-good hormones and being a great way to bond with your partner, sex may also help you to get ready for labour. If your partner has a penis, their semen contains prostaglandins, which may help your cervix to develop and may help to start labour.
Remember that its always good to communicate clearly with your partner and let them know exactly how you feel about sex during pregnancy. This will allow the two of you to come to a meeting of minds, as well as bodies. Got more questions when it comes to sex, head over to our Explore Sex blog to read more.
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Causes Of Decreased Sex Drive During Pregnancy
Blame pregnancy hormones and your equally complicated emotions. During pregnancy, you might feel downright untouchable, with sensitive breasts, engorged genitals and digestive issues like bloating.
Plus, you might be self-conscious about your growing size. Thats normal, although you should check in with your partner if you dont feel attractive right now because he or she probably finds you glowing and gorgeous. Pregnancy also makes plenty of women exhausted and stressed, which is not a recipe for hot sex.
About 30 percent of women worry that sex or even orgasm can harm their baby or trigger preterm labor. Share your fears with your practitioner so you can be reassured that nothing that happens in the bedroom is going to hurt your baby.
What No One Tells You About Pregnancy
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There are so many weird things and that can happen during pregnancy that people just dont tell you about. And so many tips and tricks that they conveniently forgot to tell you about until after the fact. Either they forgot all about it or they just dont want to talk about it.
But dont worry, I have NOT forgotten and I LOVE to share! If you are the type that likes to know what to expect so you can gird your loins and prepare, this post is for you!
I know my body well. I always have, but I wanted to get to know it better. One of the main reasons I became a nurse was because I was so interested in the human body and how it works. I wanted to be able to put an explanation to all the weird aches and pains that a human body experiences.
Working in the emergency room as a nurse gives you quite a bit of insight on strange pregnancy happenings as well. Between the hundreds of co-workers and all the patients that you see, you receive a ton of advice and information! You would think that I would have felt a little more prepared for pregnancy.
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The Foot And Leg Cramps
So these are not your average leg cramps. They grab onto your leg like a vice and wont let go! Im not usually one to get leg cramps, so when these started, I was in tears rolling around on the floor trying to massage it out.
Unfortunately, these dont really get better as the trimesters progress. In fact, they probably get worse.
But the main problem with them is that they can come on so frequently and so randomly. If it happens to you driving, please pull over. They can last longer than you think.
Luckily, most of mine happened at home at night, but beware, they can strike at any moment! And they hurt so bad.
One tip that helped: When I added in some serious deep breathing with the usual massaging, they seemed to get better faster. Maybe it was all that extra oxygen?
Blood And Urine Tests
Pregnancy tests check for the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin . A person might take an over-the-counter test at home, or they might visit a clinic and provide a urine or blood sample for testing.
The body produces hCG after implantation. Some rare conditions and diseases can also raise levels of this hormone. It is a good idea for anyone who has received a positive test result to have this confirmed by a healthcare professional.
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During The Third Trimester
As a persons bump grows over gestation, sex might become less comfortable and less desirable.
Although it is perfectly safe to have sex if both partners want to as long as the water has not broken it may be less common during the last few months of pregnancy.
Sexual activity and desire may drop off during this time due to:
- fear of pregnancy loss
When Is My Sex Drive Likely To Decrease During Pregnancy
Research suggests that you may notice it the most during your final trimester, as your burgeoning belly makes any sort of movement uncomfortable and plans for your impending delivery makes sex the last thing on your mind. But you may also experience it during the first trimester, when nausea, fatigue and breast tenderness can put a damper on sex.
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Pregnant And Horny Why Your Sex Drive Increases During Pregnancy
Noticed that you’ve been feeling uncharacteristically horny since becoming pregnant? It’s no myth that a lot of women experience a higher sex drive during pregnancy and there’s some science behind it.
It’s important to remember that just because you’re pregnant, you don’t have to say goodbye to your sex life, as it’s usually safe to continue having sex regularly if you feel like it. In fact – many pregnant women say that orgasms are much more powerful when they are pregnant, so if that’s not reason enough – what is?
Blue Lines On Abdomen And Breasts
- During the early stages of pregnancy, youll notice blue lines on belly and breasts are due to the expansion of blood vessels during early pregnancy. These are also early signs of pregnancy test before missed period.
Remember that these are external things you see if you feel that you show these symptoms you need to meet your doctor.
Relying entirely on external signs for something like pregnancy can be a major blunder.
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Causes Of Increased Sex Drive During Pregnancy
Thank those pregnancy hormones! During pregnancy, your breasts are getting bigger and more sensitive. Your vulva is becoming engorged from extra blood flow, which can lead to more enjoyable sex. And with all that increased sensitivity, it’s no wonder your sex drive may be fired up so much, even without any prompting from a second party.
Sex In The Third Trimester
While male interest in sex remains during the third trimester, sexual activity decreases . Overall, couples are less likely to use ‘on top’ positions during pregnancy and more likely to use side-by-side or rear entry positions.
In the third trimester, a lot of women are worried about orgasms making their uteruses contract. They can also worry about positional difficulties, feeling unattractive or the sexual satisfaction of their partner . Many women find sex more difficult during this time due to the discomfort of various sexual positions, pelvic congestion and their babys engagement in the pelvis .
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Appetite Fluctuations And Food Aversions
- You will move to and fro between the desire to eat everything on the dining table to just going on a hunger strike. Appetite changes are an early sign of pregnancy before missed periods.
- You might crave for a particular taste like those sour candies or raw mangoes.
- You will find an abnormal pattern of appetite change in the early days of pregnancy.
- Remember that a mother eats for two, so eat healthy for both of you.
Sex In The Third Trimester: From 27 Weeks Until Birth
As your pregnancy progresses and your baby grows, you will grow too.
In the third trimester, your bump will grow rapidly.
This is the time when it starts to become more difficult to move around or see your feet.
The amazing physical changes youre going through might make it tricky or uncomfortable to have sex and its also totally normal to feel self-conscious as you adapt to your body looking and feeling different.
Its equally normal for your partner to be less inclined to make a move on you they might feel strange about the idea of having sex when your baby is so clearly right there between you.
Possibly even kicking them.
The continued rise of progesterone and estrogen in your body is now combined with the stress hormone, cortisol, being released by your placenta and all of this has an effect on your brain chemicals too.
Its very common to have mood swings in the third trimester.
Your body is coursing with powerful hormones.
Youre mentally and emotionally preparing to give birth and meet your baby face to face.
And youre carrying a heavyweight around all day every day, so youre pretty tired!
These physical and emotional changes mean that your sex drive might drop again in the third trimester.
If not, its still perfectly safe to have sexual intercourse unless you have any complications which means that your Obstetrician has advised you not to.
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Is It Possible To Get Pregnant Right Before Your Period
Pre-period sex may feel amazing, but its not totally free from risk. Thats not the most likely time for someone to conceive, but in terms of avoiding using contraception, there is no safe time, Streicher says.
Heres how the menstrual cycle affects your chances of getting pregnant: As the cycle begins, your body enters the follicular phase, when its preparing to release an egg for fertilization.
Youre most likely to get pregnant in the days just before and after ovulation, right around the middle of your cycle. In the few days leading up to your period, your body sheds the excess uterine lining it produced. Since the egg is no longer available to be fertilized, youre unlikely to get pregnant after ovulation is complete.
But heres the rub: Everyones cycle is a little different. If you typically bleed every 21 days, you have a shorter window of time between ovulation and your period, meaning youre more likely to get pregnant in the week leading up to when your period starts.
And bleeding doesnt always indicate a period. Streicher says midcycle bleeding can sometimes be mistaken for period blood . Your best bet is to always use your regular contraception.
The Real Reason You’re So Horny On & Before Your Period
Regardless of a person’s period archetype, increased sexual desire is pretty common before and during menstruation. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but the phenomenon of feeling hot and bothered during that time of the month is not uncommon. So we asked women’s health experts to explain exactly why it happens.
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Increased Heart Rate During Early Pregnancy
Around weeks 8 to 10, your heart may begin pumping faster and harder. Palpitations and arrhythmias are common in pregnancy. This is normally due to hormones.
Increased blood flow due to the fetus happens later in pregnancy. Ideally, management starts before conception, but if you have an underlying heart problem, your doctor can help supervise low dosages of drugs.
Other Ways To Get Off During Pregnancy
If you are wanting to get off with your partner but not in the mood for traditional intercourse, you can still do all the other stuff.
1. Oral Sex
Oral sex is perfectly safe. The one caveat that is very important: make sure your partner never blows air into your vagina while you’re pregnant as this can cause an air embolism, where an air bubble blocks a blood vessel and could be life-threatening for you and the baby. This is very rare and, again, can be avoided as long as your partner does not blow any air into the vagina.
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Potential Risks And When To Avoid Sex In Pregnancy
Potential risks of sex can include infection as a result of pelvic inflammatory disease and bleeding before giving birth if you have placenta praevia .
Reasons to avoid having penetrative sex during pregnancy can include:
- heavy bleeding
- placenta praevia
- broken waters as it can increase the risk of infections
- any problems with the cervix you might be at higher risk of going into early labour or a miscarriage
- if you’re having twins and you’re in the later stages of pregnancy
- a history of going into labour early and you’re late into your pregnancy
Use a condom or another form of barrier protection if you or your partner are having sex with other people while you’re pregnant. This will provide protection for you and your baby from sexually transmitted diseases .
Frequent Urination And Incontinence During Early Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your body increase the amount of blood it pumps. This causes the kidney to process more fluid than usual, which leads to more fluid in your bladder.
Hormones also play a large role in bladder health. You may find yourself running to the bathroom more frequently or accidentally leaking.
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