I was a lot of things when I was pregnant — happy, hungry, teary. But horny? Not so much. I expected to be, seeing as several of my friends talked about how they couldn't get enough of their partners during those nine months. Like, so much sex that their SOs were seriously disappointed when it all ended as soon as the baby was born. But is it normal for pregnant women to be horny all the time?
In short — yes. No two pregnancies are the same, and although it makes sense that a woman who has spent the better part of nine months puking may not feel up to sex, there are plenty of women who find that their sex drive is super high during pregnancy. According to What to Expect, all of the increased hormones can affect your sex drive, especially as your breasts become bigger and more sensitive and your genitals become engorged and swollen from the extra blood flow. You may find that sex is even better than before because of all the increased sensitivities.
But which hormones specifically make you want to do it like rabbits? Fit Pregnancy noted that estrogen, the hormone responsible for stimulating your uterus's growth and the blood flow between your uterus and placenta, is also associated with your sex drive. Add in oxytocin, the hormone that helps you bond with your baby and turns you into a nesting fiend, and it can also explain why you want your SO all the time — you just want to be close to them.
Despite all of the science behind your increased sex drive, it can still feel weird to be one of the few in your group that wants to get it on all the time. But feeling horny all the time is totally normal for pregnant women. According to Today's Parent, more moms experience an increased libido than you might think, especially as the first trimester comes to end (hopefully taking away most of the fatigue and morning sickness).
So own it. Although your partner may be totally into your revved up sex drive, don't feel too upset if they don't reciprocate the feelings. Instead, find some alone time for yourself to masturbate until your SO is available for intimacy. Just like worrying about how your partner may feel when you can't have sex for six weeks after delivery, your SO may be nervous that turning you down for sex when they are too tired or stressed will lead to bad news, too. Make sure not to take it too personally and keep the communication open. (And maybe get a vibrator for those really horny days.)
