Pregnancy Risks & Sex

By Stephanie Mojica

Some women who already have potential pregnancy risks should abstain from intercourse while expecting, according to the Mayo Clinic and KidsHealth. Even if you don't have a high-risk pregnancy, you should never let your partner blow air into your vagina, as this can cause a blood clot that endangers the lives of you and your unborn baby. Also, all pregnant women should avoid anal sex due to the risk of potentially dangerous bacterial infections.

Types

High-risk pregnancies require women to abstain from sex, notes the Mayo Clinic and KidsHealth. Moms expecting multiple births such as twins or triplets, women who have suffered a miscarriage before and those women whose doctor noted that they might have a premature delivery should not have sex at all while pregnant.

Potential Risks

In women having lower-risk pregnancies, orgasms usually can't cause premature labor, according to the Mayo Clinic and Kids Health. But women who already have risky pregnancies are far more likely to go into premature labor if the orgasms cause contractions. Also, any woman having sex while pregnant risks contracting a sexually transmitted disease; such infections can harm both mother and baby whether or not the term was high-risk to begin with.

Alternatives To Intercourse

You might be able to have oral sex while pregnant, but ask your doctor just to be on the safe side, notes the Mayo Clinic and Kids Health. Kissing and cuddling are probably the safest forms of physical romantic activity for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies.

Misconceptions

The penis cannot intrude into the womb during any pregnancy, notes the Mayo Clinic and KidsHealth. The amniotic sac protects your future son or daughter from any foreign material.

Risks During Pregnancy From Sexual Activities Before Pregnancy

Women who have a lot of sexual partners may be at a higher risk of tubal or ectopic pregnancies, according to the Mayo Clinic. In such pregnancies, the fetus cannot be delivered through any type of childbirth because it is trapped in a fallopian tube rather than housed in the uterus. Any unexplained bleeding and significant pain during pregnancy, whether or not sexual intercourse might have caused the symptoms, warrants immediate medical attention. Women who suffer from tubal pregnancies risk not only losing fertility, but also their lives. A doctor must terminate the pregnancy through either injections of medications or surgery. Moms who have HIV or sexually transmitted diseases also need special medical care, as these conditions can be passed on in-utero and harm the growing child, notes the Centers for Disease Control.