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LGBTQ+ Pregnancy Information

Updated/Revised Date: 20th Sep 2022
Author: Sexual Diversity | Contact: SexualDiversity.org
Additional References: LGBT and Pregnancy Publications

Synopsis: Sexual Diversity presents informative news relating to pregnancy and child bearing including symptoms and legal issues.

Definition

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is the development of one or more offspring, an embryo or fetus, in a woman's uterus. It is the common name for gestation in humans. Multiple pregnancies involve more than one embryo or fetus in a single pregnancy, such as twins. In most cultures, pregnant women have a special social status and receive gentle care. At the same time, they are subject to expectations that may exert tremendous psychological pressure, such as having to produce a son and heir. In many traditional societies, pregnancy must be preceded by marriage, on pain of ostracism of the mother and (illegitimate) child.

Main Section

Most pregnant women experience several symptoms which can signify pregnancy. The symptoms can include nausea and vomiting, excessive tiredness and fatigue, cravings for certain foods that are not normally sought, and frequent urination, particularly at night.

Most women can continue to engage in sexual activity throughout pregnancy. Most research suggests that sexual desire and frequency of sexual relations decrease during pregnancy. In the context of this decrease in desire, some studies indicate a second-trimester increase, preceding a decrease during the third trimester. Some individuals are sexually attracted to pregnant women (pregnancy fetishism, also known as maiesiophilia).

Sex during pregnancy is a low-risk behavior except when the healthcare provider advises that sexual intercourse be avoided for medical reasons. Otherwise, for a healthy pregnant woman who is not ill or weak, there is no safe or right way to have sex during pregnancy: it is enough to apply the common sense rule that both partners avoid putting pressure on the uterus, or a partner's full weight on a pregnant belly.

Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks after conception. Women with a menstrual cycle length of four weeks are approximately 40 weeks from the start of the last normal menstrual period (LNMP). Health authorities recommend that women not artificially begin delivery with labor induction or cesarean section before 39 weeks as this amount of time is considered "full term" for the child to develop. Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Conception can be achieved through sexual intercourse or assisted reproductive technology.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, 40% of pregnancies are unplanned, and between a quarter and half of those unplanned pregnancies were unwanted pregnancies. Of those unintended pregnancies in the US, 60% of the women used birth control to some extent during the month pregnancy occurred.

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Latest LGBT and Pregnancy Publications

The above information is from our reference library of material relating to LGBT and Pregnancy that includes:

Sexual Enjoyment After Childbirth Not Altered by Delivery Method thumbnail image.
Study addressed whether caesarean sections maintain sexual wellbeing compared to vaginal delivery, due to reduced risk of tearing and maintenance of vaginal tone.
Publish Date: 22nd Aug 2022 - Updated: 5th Jan 2023
Pregnant Transgender Men - Greater Support Needed thumbnail image.
Many transgender men have capacity to bear children but medicine has not incorporated gender diversity into routine care.
Publish Date: 29th Oct 2015
Pain During or After Intercourse and Mode of Delivery Link thumbnail image.
Operative birth is associated with persisting pain during or after sexual intercourse, known as dyspareunia.
Publish Date: 22nd Jan 2015
Over 22% of Pregnant Women Suffer Intimate Partner Violence thumbnail image.
Study analyses violent behaviours and emotional violence during female pregnancy.
Publish Date: 12th Dec 2014 - Updated: 25th Oct 2022
The Biological Clock that Governs Female Fertility thumbnail image.
The discovery represents a major contribution to research aimed at finding medical approaches to treating infertility in women.
Publish Date: 29th Oct 2014 - Updated: 12th Jan 2015


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• (APA): SexualDiversity.org. (2022, September 20). LGBTQ+ Pregnancy Information. SexualDiversity.org. Retrieved February 19, 2025 from www.sexualdiversity.org/sexuality/health/pregnancy/


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