PREGNANT women get friskier in the second trimester, a study reveals.
Fewer symptoms like sickness and aches and pains mean mums-to-be enjoy a libido boost.
GettyPregnant women get friskier in the second trimester, a study reveals[/caption]
An Indiana University study found expectant mothers increase the amount of sex they have in a “honeymoon period” between weeks 11 and 21.
But time spent between the sheets drops sharply in early and later stages.
Writing in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, author Dr Shari Blumenstock said: “Changes in weekly intercourse frequency generally followed patterns of common pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and fatigue.
“This suggests symptoms may be most favourable to intercourse towards the end of the first and beginning of the second trimesters, and least favourable near the end of the pregnancy.”
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The study quizzed 237 American women aged between 18 and 22 about their sex lives.
It counted the number of weeks during pregnancy that each mum-to-be made love and calculated the likelihood for each week of pregnancy.
While eight out of 10 still had weekly intercourse at the start of the pregnancy, this fell to little over half by week 40 – with a rebound in the middle.
The sharpest drop was during the first 11 weeks when the likelihood of intimacy plummeted by 18 per cent per week.
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Dr Blumenstock said: “Nausea and vomiting, common pregnancy symptoms, tend to begin fairly early in pregnancy but begin to largely subside between weeks 9 and 12.
“These are are commonly cited reasons for avoiding sexual intercourse during pregnancy.”