Changes in Women’s Sexual Habits During Pregnancy in Hungary

Abstract

Pregnant women experience various physiological and psychological changes, which affect several areas such as biorhythm, lifestyle, emotions, social relations, and especially sexuality. The main aim of the present study was to explore how pregnancy influences women’s sexual behavior and sexual activity. Data collection was carried out within the framework of a cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive research, using a self-administered questionnaire and simple, nonrandom sampling, between July and September of 2019 in Hungary. Expectant women aged 16 to 53 years (n = 445) were involved in the study. The analysis of the data revealed that among pregnant women in the third trimester there was a significantly higher number of those who had sexual intercourse with their partners only on a monthly or less frequent basis (p = .03). Those who had various health complaints during pregnancy had significantly fewer intercourses with their partners than expectant women without complaints (p = .008). Among pregnant women who had concerns about the negative consequences of sexual intercourse, the decrease in sexual activity was considerably larger than among those who had no or only occasional fears (p < .001). The results of the research suggest that pregnancy negatively affects women’s sexual activity. In many cases, pregnant women struggle with uncertainty and fears, which calls attention to the need to put special emphasis on issues related to sexuality during prenatal care.

Keywords:

• Pregnancy
• sexual activity
• sexual positions
• trimesters

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).