Masturbation is the stimulation of the genitals for a sexually pleasurable experience. Women nowadays are also open to this kind of activity. Women’s masturbation is often done using the fingers or hands and may also be practiced with the help of sex toys. Since masturbation is known to be a substitute for sexual penetration and may bring satisfaction to both partners when done mutually, the question is, is it safe to masturbate when pregnant?

Is It Safe to Perform Masturbating While Pregnant?

It would be safe to perform masturbating while pregnant because it does not affect your baby, nor does it give any physical stresses to it. In fact, masturbating is known to relieve the stress. Moreover, masturbation is also known to give a much satisfying sexual pleasure than the actual sexual interaction itself. Since pregnancy kindles stress, it would be okay to masturbate since it is proven to relieve any physical tension and it is proven to help some people sleep.

However, there are some concerns with regard to having orgasms which may in fact spark the labor of a pregnant woman. When women orgasm, they are releasing oxytocin into the blood stream which is also known to be similar to the drug obstetricians use to spark the labor of the pregnant women. The similar drug is also used to help shrink the uterus back in its normal size after the labor of the pregnant women. However, there have been no clinical evidences that masturbating may spark a coming labor and this matter may be discussed with your physician.

Precautions for Performing Masturbating While Pregnant

While it is claimed safe to masturbate during pregnancy, there are also some precautions to be considered before doing so.

• Be careful with sex toys. Some people rely on sex toys whenever they are masturbating, one of which is a vibrator. You must put in mind that a sex toy must be thoroughly cleaned and washed before usage so as to make sure that there will be no bacteria or germs that may touch the genitals as this may cause further infection, thus, affecting the pregnancy.
• Know when to stop. One must always put in mind that whenever they feel any kind of pain or discomfort while masturbating, they must stop whatever it is that they are doing and when the pain continues even after the act, they must see a doctor for medical care assistance.
• Avoid inserting foreign objects. Moreover, as some people use sex toys, some people would like to experiment by putting in various objects inside their vaginas or rectum while masturbating. These acts may harm the body physically since genitals are considered to be private and sensitive parts of the body. One must remember that there are various objects that may not be used for masturbation some of which are the objects which have bacteria or any kind of dirt that may cause infections, objects that may have sharp edges that may injure the surface or the walls of the vagina and the rectum, or small objects that may be left or lost inside the rectum or the vagina. The latter even needs medical treatment and tools to be removed inside the genitals.

What About Other Sexual Activities During Pregnancy?

1. Regular Sex

Regular sex is safe during pregnancy unless the doctor says otherwise. It is actually safe to have regular sex in certain positions because it will not harm the baby.

Many people believe that it is not safe for the baby to have sex in the midst of the pregnancy but the baby will not be physically harmed as he or she is protected inside the amniotic sac filled with amniotic fluid. This protection will help the baby be safe because it will absorb all the physical shocks that may harm him or her. Aside from the sac protecting the baby, there is also a mucus in the cervix of the mother which filters and prevents the germs or bacteria from entering during the penetration. Moreover, this mucus do not only prevents the causes of infection, but also the penis from touching the baby in the midst of penetration.

2. Oral Sex

Just like regular sex, oral sex is also safe during pregnancy, as it will not harm the baby physically. However, the partner must not blow any air into the genitals as there have been theories that blowing air into the vagina may enter the bloodstream. This may cause obstruction of a blood vessel and or embolism which were deemed deadly for both you are your baby. For the men, pregnant women may also do oral sex to their partners as it cannot harm the baby. Swallowing semen during pregnancy is also safe.

3. Anal Sex

Anal sex is also safe during pregnancy, but the partners must do it carefully. There are some points to remember before doing anal sex during the pregnancy. First is that it may be uncomfortable for both partners to do so if the pregnant woman has hemorrhoids, the hazard of pregnancy. Anal sex may cause bleeding to the hemorrhoids.

Most importantly, same rules and precautions with regard to anal sex applies whether you are pregnant or not and that is to do this kind of sex with proper hygiene. It would be dangerous to do vaginal or regular sex right after the anal sex if the penis was not cleaned. Inserting the penis in the vagina after an anal sex may cause bacteria to enter the vagina, thus, giving the possibility of infection and danger for the baby.