Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T22:30:45.488Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 11 - Sex in the First Trimester

from Section 2 - Specific Issues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2022

By
Kirsten M. Niles
Edited by
Dan Farine  and
Pablo Tobías González
Dan Farine
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
Pablo Tobías González
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina de Parla, Madrid
Get access

Summary

The first trimester of pregnancy covers a major transition period for pregnant individuals and their partners. Sexual satisfaction, including in pregnancy, is an important facet of a fulfilling relationship. The frequency of sexual activity decreases during the first trimester and is accompanied by increased sexual dysfunction, particularly once the pregnancy is identified. This may be secondary to physical factors such as fatigue and nausea and vomiting as well as a fear of miscarriage or harm to the pregnancy. Sexual activity in the first trimester has not been demonstrated to result in miscarriage, adverse obstetric outcomes, or fetal harm. Vaginal bleeding may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage and therefore caution is advisable for vaginal intercourse in these cases. Obstetric care providers can support couples in early pregnancy by including discussions of the safety of sexual activity, expectations during pregnancy, and alternative mechanisms of intimacy as part of routine pregnancy care.

Keywords

first trimesterintercoursemiscarriagesexual activitypregnancy
Type
Chapter
Information
Sex and Pregnancy
From Evidence-Based Medicine to Dr Google
 , pp. 70 - 76
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

von Sydow, K.. Sexuality during pregnancy and after childbirth: a metacontent analysis of 59 studies. J Psychosom Res 1999;47:27–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stammler-Safar, M., Ott, J., Weber, S., Krampl, E.. Sexual behaviour of women with twin pregnancies. Twin Res Hum Genet 2010;13:383–8.Google Scholar
Bartellas, E., Crane, J. M., Daley, M., Bennett, K. A., Hutchens, D.. Sexuality and sexual activity in pregnancy. BJOG 2000;107:964–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leite, A. P., Campos, A. A., Dias, A. R., et al. Prevalence of sexual dysfunction during pregnancy. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2009;55:563–8.Google Scholar
Corbacioglu Esmer, A., Akca, A., Akbayir, O., Goksedef, B. P., Bakir, V. L.. Female sexual function and associated factors during pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2013;39:1165–72.Google Scholar
Pauleta, J. R., Pereira, N. M., Graca, L. M.. Sexuality during pregnancy. J Sex Med 2010;7:136–42.Google Scholar
Fok, W. Y., Chan, L. Y., Yuen, P. M.. Sexual behavior and activity in Chinese pregnant women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2005;84:934–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jawed-Wessel, S., Sevick, E.. The impact of pregnancy and childbirth on sexual behaviors: a systematic review. J Sex Res 2017;54:411–23.Google Scholar
Aslan, G., Aslan, D., Kizilyar, A., Ispahi, C., Esen, A.. A prospective analysis of sexual functions during pregnancy. Int J Impot Res 2005;17:154–7.Google Scholar
Oruc, S., Esen, A., Lacin, S., et al. Sexual behaviour during pregnancy. Aust NZ J Obstet Gynaecol 1999;39:48–50.Google Scholar
Torkestani, F., Hadavand, S. H., Khodashenase, Z., et al. Frequency and perception of sexual activity during pregnancy in Iranian couples. Int J Fertil Steril 2012;6:107–10.Google ScholarPubMed
Chang, S. R., Chen, K. H., Lin, H. H., Yu, H. J.. Comparison of overall sexual function, sexual intercourse/activity, sexual satisfaction, and sexual desire during the three trimesters of pregnancy and assessment of their determinants. J Sex Med 2011;8:2859–67.Google Scholar
Ninivaggio, C., Rogers, R. G., Leeman, L., et al. Sexual function changes during pregnancy. Int Urogynecol J 2017;28:923–9.Google Scholar
Fuchs, A., Czech, I., Sikora, J., et al. Sexual functioning in pregnant women. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019;16:4216.Google Scholar
Seven, M., Akyuz, A., Gungor, S.. Predictors of sexual function during pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol 2015;35:691–5.Google Scholar
Corbacioglu, A., Bakir, V. L., Akbayir, O., Cilesiz Goksedef, B. P., Akca, A.. The role of pregnancy awareness on female sexual function in early gestation. J Sex Med 2012;9:1897–903.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wannakosit, S., Phupong, V.. Sexual behavior in pregnancy: comparing between sexual education group and nonsexual education group. J Sex Med 2010;7:3434–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Orji, E. O., Ogunlola, I. O., Fasubaa, O. B.. Sexuality among pregnant women in South West Nigeria. J Obstet Gynaecol 2002;22:166–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faisal-Cury, A., Huang, H., Chan, Y. F., Menezes, P. R.. The relationship between depressive/anxiety symptoms during pregnancy/postpartum and sexual life decline after delivery. J Sex Med 2013;10:1343–9.Google Scholar
Abouzari-Gazafroodi, K., Najafi, F., Kazemnejad, E., Rahnama, P., Montazeri, A.. Demographic and obstetric factors affecting women’s sexual functioning during pregnancy. Reprod Health 2015;12:72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maconochie, N., Doyle, P., Prior, S., Simmons, R.. Risk factors for first trimester miscarriage: results from a UK-population-based case-control study. BJOG 2007;114:170–86.Google Scholar
Yost, N. P., Owen, J., Berghella, V., et al. Effect of coitus on recurrent preterm birth. Obstet Gynecol 2006;107:793–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Afshar, M., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, S., Merghti-Khoei, E. S., Yavarikia, P.. The effect of sex education on the sexual function of women in the first half of pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. J Caring Sci 2012;1:173–81.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×