There are only a few true pleasures that come along with being pregnant. Along with having access to special parking spaces and all the good food you get to eat, pregnancy sex is definitely up there. Unfortunately, according to new info, even something as magical as oral sex can harm your baby during pregnancy.
At a certain point, pregnant sex becomes extremely difficult. Even when you really want to get down with your partner, figuring out the logistics of positions and physical comfort can completely squash the sexiness out of penetrative sex. This makes oral sex a staple in late pregnancy intercourse. As if trying to get it on with that big belly in the way wasn't enough, according to Terri Warren, a nurse practitioner who wrote the book The Good News About the Bad News: Herpes: Everything You Need to Know, engaging in oral sex while pregnant can be super risky.
More from CafeMom: Kim Zolciak-Bierman Jokes About Daughter Giving Oral Sex — & Just…No
"The biggest risk is when a woman contracts herpes in the third trimester," Warren said in an interview with Vice. "If you get herpes in your third trimester, there's a 50 percent chance your baby will get it at delivery."
You might be thinking, wait, I'm in a monogamous relationship; I don't need to worry about that. But Warren cautions that even women in monogamous relationships don't always know what their partner is up to. As if we don't have enough worries occupying our brains during pregnancy, we apparently need to also be afraid that our partner might cheat, contract an STI, spread the STI to us via oral sex, and then we could unknowingly pass it along to our unborn child.
Embedded content: https://media.giphy.com/media/S8MvKTFEMCFIA/giphy.gif
While it should definitely be noted that the contraction of herpes in pregnant women could ultimately lead to extreme illness and even death in infants, it should also be said that less than 0.1 percent of babies born in the United States get neonatal herpes.
In order to combat the risk of contacting herpes during pregnancy, Warren essentially gives the same advice that all non-pregnant sexually active women get. Stay educated on the risks for STIs, be in constant communication with your partner, and maintain regular STI tests. She also suggests that women, even those in monogamous relationships, abstain from oral sex during the third trimester.
More from CafeMom: 18 Best Sex Positions While Pregnant
Totally abstaining from oral sex with a monogamous partner to avoid the risk of your child being one of the 0.1 percent of children born with neonatal herpes seems extreme, to say the least. Being aware of the risks are one thing, but completely forgoing the joys of amazing pregnancy orgasms because of them is another thing entirely.
Ultimately, every woman needs to do what's best for herself as well as her baby. We, for one, fully support every pregnant woman's right to get her freak on as often as she so pleases.
