Key points
- Ask your midwife or doctor whether anything speaks against sex or exertion
- From around the middle of pregnancy, avoid lying flat on the back for long
- No impact, pressure or tight bondage on the belly
- Avoid overheating and electro-stimulation
- Bleeding, leaking fluid, strong cramps or fewer baby movements need medical attention
In detail
- Lying on the back: from about 20 weeks, the uterus can press on a large vein and cause dizziness or fainting. Use side positions, ideally on the left, or prop the upper body up
- Belly: no impact, no kneeling or sitting on it, no rope or straps across it. Spanking the buttocks or thighs is a different matter; ask your midwife if unsure
- Heat: avoid hot tubs, saunas, latex, hoods and very warm rooms, especially early in pregnancy
- Electro-stimulation: there is hardly any research on play devices in pregnancy, so leave them out
- Joints and balance: hormones loosen ligaments and the center of gravity shifts. Avoid stress positions, standing bondage and anything that risks a fall
- Circulation: fainting happens more easily. Check in often and help the person sit up slowly
- Breathing: no gags, breath play or pressure on the chest; oxygen needs rise in pregnancy
- Never blow air into the vagina during pregnancy. It can cause an air embolism, which is rare but life-threatening
Warnings
- Stop and contact your midwife or doctor in case of bleeding, leaking fluid, cramps or pain
- Some complications, such as a low-lying placenta, mean avoiding penetration or orgasm; ask
- Feelings about the body and about power dynamics can change; renegotiate as you go
- Violence by a partner can begin or worsen during pregnancy; support is listed on the helplines page on this site
Resources and next steps
- Your midwife or obstetrician
- Pregnancy and sexual health counseling services
- The helplines page on this site
- Your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US and Canada)