As women go through the stages of pregnancy, many tend to experience what they feel are unusual occurrences on a daily basis. Oddly enough, many of the problems women face, like extreme gas, engorged breasts and random sprouts of hair are not really that unusual. However, there are some instances where extraordinary events happen during that (nine) months of pregnant bliss. Take a look at some of the weird facts about pregnancy, much of it may surprise you.
You Could Be Pregnant For Over A Year
Most pregnancies last for about 9 months and doctors are likely to induce labor if pregnancy goes on too long. That being said, it is possible to be pregnant for a whole year. The world’s longest pregnancy lasted 375 days, strangely, the baby was only a little under seven pounds.
It certainly puts a whole new perspective on being a few weeks late, doesn’t it?
(Link | Photo)
A Male Fetus Can Get Erections In The Womb
Most mothers don’t like to think about their baby boys getting erections, even when they are teenagers, but the fact is that many baby boys get boners while they’re still in the womb. In fact, babies of both sexes are known to masturbate in utero, but boys are the only ones who can be caught while aroused on the sonogram.
If having sex while pregnant seemed a little creepy before now, just imagine what your baby is doing while you make love. (Link | Photo)
Your Entire Undercarriage Might Need Stitches
The last place any woman wants stitches is in her taint, but many mothers have to get that area closed up surgically. Nine out of ten women have some type of vaginal tearing after birth, but there are many degrees of tearing. Some tears only require a little care or a few stitches, but the really bad cases go from the vagina all the way to the anus. Some can even affect the muscles beyond your anus. On the upside, tearing that reaches the anus is somewhat rare and only affects one in one hundred mothers.
Massaging the area prior to child birth can reduce tearing, but even then, it won’t completely stop tearing in most people.
You May Just Poop Yourself
During childbirth, it is extremely common for a woman to accidentally expel the contents of her bowels. There is a good reason for this –the muscles you use to push the baby out are the same ones you ordinarily use during a bowel movement. As if that weren’t enough to get your sphincter ready to go, the baby directly pushes on the rectum as it makes its exit, helping to squeeze out anything near the exit.
In olden times, it was common for nurses to give enemas prior to labor, but this practice didn’t end up stopping the mess from happening and often caused dehydration. These days, your doctors and nurses will be ready to help clean up the mess. In most cases, they won’t even say anything about it so you won’t know the difference.
It does make you think twice about filming the birth though, doesn’t it? (Link | Photo)
You Really Will Glow
Saying a pregnant woman is glowing is a common expression, but most people chalk it up to the woman’s excitement about becoming a mommy. As it turns out though, glowing skin is a very real thing for pregnant women. While you’re pregnant, the amount of blood in your body will increase by 50%. The extra blood ends up showing through the skin in many areas, particularly the cheeks.
On top of this, hormones cause the oil glands to become more active, resulting in a softer, shinier appearance. When the increased blood flow combines with shine, the result is a noticeable glow.
Your Sense of Smell Gets Better
During pregnancy, your sense of smell increases drastically, as does your sense of taste. Scientists hypothesize that this is to help pregnant mothers avoid eating small levels of toxins that might not be dangerous to an adult, but could be deadly to a fetus. As smoke, alcohol and coffee are all particularly noticeable to pregnant women, this theory certainly seems to be on the right path.
Contractions Don’t Stop After Birth
Most mothers will have contractions for the first few days after birth. The muscle cramps are the body’s way of stopping excess blood loss. On the upside, if you give birth at the hospital, you’ll still be pretty drugged up and will probably barely even notice.
You Don’t Really Need To Eat For Two
Despite the widespread rumors that say pregnant women need to gain all the weight they can in order to birth a healthy baby, the truth is that most women will only need an extra 300 calories per day. That’s equivalent to about one serving of yogurt and half a bagel. Most women only need to gain about 25 pounds throughout their entire pregnancy.
Your Feet Can Grow Up To One Full Shoe Size
If you’re wondering why your feet will get so big when you only gain 25 pounds, it has to do with the excess pressure on your feet paired with relaxed ligaments in your body. As your pregnancy wears on, your body starts to release the tightness of its ligaments to help with the birthing process. Unfortunately for your shoes, this also means your feet start to lose their arch and stretch out on the sides. The flatter, wider shape of your feet will probably be temporary, but if they grew too much, the change could end up being permanent. If your feet do stay a bit larger, it certainly will serve as a great excuse to buy more shoes.
The Father Might Show Symptoms of Pregnancy
It’s surprisingly common for a father-to-be to start gaining weight, getting morning sickness and even feel cramps in his lower abdomen. The condition is known as a sympathetic pregnancy or the Couvade Syndrome, which comes from the french word couvee meaning “to hatch”.
Do you watch porn? I do. Some may think it’s an unnatural obsession as I watch it more than a few times per month. I, however, consider it research. There’s something about the act of sex that is intriguing, biologically and sexually. Most people watch it for other reasons, and that’s what it’s made for. Who knew it was so popular?
The only virus you can get from watching porn is on your smartphone, so don’t feel bad about it. If, however you find yourself watching excessive amounts that stop you from being productive – seek help. Check out these suggestions for dealing with porn addiction.
If porn watching is simply a hobby of yours – just look at how many other people are doing it with you…
Via the Huffington Post:
The Internet is for porn. We all know that, but until now we may not have realized to what extent porn dominated the Internet. According to this infographic by new porn website Paint Bottle, porn takes up a huge percentage of Internet bandwidth. In fact, 30 percent of all data transferred across the Internet is porn. YouPorn, one of the larger video porn sites, streams six times the bandwidth as Hulu.
Check out this infographic for more fascinating stats about online porn:
Every adult knows that the clitoris is the most common place to go for vaginal stimulation, many know that the G-Spot is the second most popular. How many know about the A-Spot? This erogenous zone may be the solution for many sexual arousal issues in women. While research is still being conducted on this new, sexual territory; there’s nothing wrong with doing a little exploration yourself.
So, where is it?
The A-Spot, AFE-zone or Anterior Fornix Erogenous Zone. Also referred to as the Epicentre, this is a patch of sensitive tissue at the inner end of the vaginal tube between the cervix and the bladder, described technically as the ‘female degenerated prostate’. (In other words, it is the female equivalent of the male prostate, just as the clitoris is the female equivalent of the male penis.) Direct stimulation of this spot can produce violent orgasmic contractions. Unlike the clitoris, it is not supposed to suffer from post-orgasmic over-sensitivity.
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How do I get to it?
There has been some mis-reporting about it, and its precise position has been incorrectly described by several writers. Its true location is just above the cervix, at the innermost point of the vagina. The cervix of the uterus is the narrow part that protrudes slightly into the vagina, leaving a circular recess around itself. The front part of this recess is called the anterior fornix. Pressure on it produces rapid lubrication of the vagina, even in women who are not normally sexually responsive. It is now possible to buy a special AFE vibrator – long thin and upward curved at its end, to probe this zone.
Studies show that two out of every three women fail to reach regular orgasms from simple penetrative sex. As mentioned above, most of them find that only digital or oral stimulation of the clitoris can be guaranteed to bring them to climax. This must mean that, for them, the two ‘hot spots’ inside the vagina are not living up to their name. The reason for this, it seems, is monotony in sexual positioning. A group of 27 couples were asked to vary their sexual positions experimentally, employing postures that would allow greater stimulation of the two vaginal ‘hot spots’, and it was found that three-quarters of the females involved were then able to achieve regular vaginal orgasms.
What Techniques are Best For a Partner to Reach the A-Spot?
Place both index and middle fingers inside her, and stick out your thumb as if you’re hitchhiking. It’ll pull your fingers more snugly against her vaginal walls, stimulating both the A-spot and G-spot simultaneously. Then use your thumb to also stimulate her clitoris, and gently twist your hand.
With the media and society hyping up male enlargement through pills and other contraptions, it’s hard to tell fact from myth. Women everywhere are being conditioned to think that there is supposed to be a standard for penis size. While each of us may have a preference, there is no real problem with having a “small” penis – just like men with larger penises may have problems having comfortable intercourse.
Sex has no guarantees. Judging a man by his penis size and turning him down because it’s not based on one’s “norm” may cause that person to miss out on a pleasurable partner and a possibly great relationship. Moral of the story, don’t believe the hype.
Now, let’s back this up with some facts…
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In a world of supersize cars, jobs, meals, and just about everything else, it’s hard to stop thinking about whether bigger is actually better for everything. Men are competitive when it comes to their ability to satisfy women, and unfortunately after years of locker-room comparisons, the go-to source of pride or shame is the size of that with which they’re working. So, does penis size really matter? Well, yes, but you’ll be shocked to find out for whom it really matters.
Striving to be the best is par for the course; while your date-night antics don’t necessarily qualify as a sport, and you won’t be in the running for an Olympic medal this year, peak performance is always on your mind, especially when it comes to sex. As we all know, it takes more than height to make a great basketball player, and more than biceps to make a standout football star. The same can be said for savvy lovers who have better sex — physical equipment isn’t everything when it comes to knocking it out of the park, and women aren’t shy about singing the praise of skill over size.
Unfortunately, not all guys seem to believe those women so we’re going to rely on science to reassure you that the size of the package isn’t more important than the method of delivery.
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It’s all in your head
OK, it’s time for some scientific facts and figures to put to rest some of the outlandish claims and myths circulating about whether or not penis size matters and what’s normal for the vast majority of men out there. A comprehensive worldwide study of more than 40 independent penis size research projects, undertaken since 1942, has come up with a general penis size guideline. With over 11,000 participants, the survey puts the average erect size of the adult penis between 5.5 inches and 6.2 inches in length and 4.7 inches and 5.1 inches in girth.
If the science doesn’t do it for you, and you’re still wondering “does penis size matter,” then the study also took a look at perceptions of size and asked more than 50,000 heterosexual men and women how they rated their own size or the size of their partner. They found that 85% of women were satisfied with their partner’s penile size, but only 55% of men were satisfied. Notice anything? The women were much more forgiving and didn’t feel like they were dealing with inferior goods if they weren’t being bludgeoned with porn-star worthy penises. Chances are that women within measuring distance usually have better things on their minds than finding a ruler, and if they don’t, penis size probably shouldn’t be your first concern.
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What she’s thinking
Do you think you could accurately identify what 5.0 inches looks like within ¼ inch? Yeah, we didn’t think so. And guess what, most women couldn’t do it either. The variances in the middle ranges of penis sizes only offer up about ¾ of an inch from the low-end to the high-end of the scale, including racial variances that have seeped into popular culture, but remain largely unsubstantiated in the scientific community. So, unless you are the proud owner of a significantly smaller (under 4.0 inches erect) or significantly larger (over 7.5 inches), your partner’s ability to identify your exact size and judge you on it are pretty slim.
Still not satisfied that your or his penis sizes up? Stay tuned for part two…
In the quest to find perfection, many women (and men) are seeking alternatives to diet, exercise and hard work. When a physical attribute cannot be attained, some are willing to go to extremes that are now becoming the norm in society. One young lady tried her chance at attaining a dangerous dream, which ultimately claimed her life…
Claudia Aderotimi, 20, was a dancer and a choreographer with “a drive to be famous,” a heartbroken pal told theU.K.‘s Sun newspaper, and had impressed talent scouts after she wore butt-padded pants to a rap-music videoaudition.
Aderotimi, who sometimes spelled her name Claudiya and used the stage names “Carmella James” and “Carmella London,” had once boasted on a British website for wanna-be celebs that “Superstar is my middle name,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
But after scouts discovered her posterior was a fake, her phone stopped ringing, talent scout and friend Tee Ali toldthe Sun.
“She thought if she had a big booty, she would have been in better videos and been more famous,” Ali said.
She and another woman paid more than $1,000 to receive injections to plump their rears. Aderotimi was rushed to the hospital at 1:30 a.m. Monday after complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath, police said, and died later that day.
Early reports said Aderotimi died after silicone from the shots seeped into her bloodstream and caused a heart attack or coronary embolism.
But Delaware County Medical Examiner Fredric Hellman said Wednesday that a preliminary cause of death wouldn’t be known until further testing was completed.
Liquid silicone is commonly used in back-room breast and butt-enhancement procedures, as are paraffin, petroleum jelly and hydrogel.
Butt shots are becoming popular among American women.
Aderotimi’s friend also received shots in her butt and hips, but did not get sick, police said.
No arrests have been made in the case, but police were questioning a woman in New Jersey who is suspected of setting up the appointment for Aderotimi and the other woman, Philadelphia Police Lt. Ray Evers said Wednesday.
Cops are also hunting for a second woman, who, they said, performed the procedure.
In recent years, similar cases involving women dying or suffering health problems after receiving illegal cosmetic injections have been reported in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles.
Many of the victims come from abroad after being lured by Internet ads promising cheap, safe and quick procedures, experts said.
In the U.S., big bums are all the rage as women aspire to achieve the curves of celebs like Kim Kardashian, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj, and websites and chat forums where users trade butt-enhancement tips have become increasingly popular.
On one chat forum hosted on Topix.com, a user from Los Angeles wrote, “It’s like the biggest thing in California now! Girls are all going in for butt jobs so they can look like Kim Kardashian. Some plastic surgeons have special packages now where you can get both your boobs and your butt done for a reduced price!”
Friends and family who gathered at Aderotimi’s home in East London on Wednesday night said they were devastated she had gone to such lengths to achieve her dream.
“Claudia was a really pretty girl. I don’t know why she felt she had to have the treatment,” a 17-year-old neighbor who did not want to be named told The Mirror. “It’s such a waste.”
Have you ever gotten ready for a date, then realized you needed to run to the store or run some errands right before? Have you ever been invited out and the meet-up time’s right after work? Ever want to do something wild and spur of the moment – but didn’t, because you weren’t sure if you were fresh “down there?”
I’m sure it’s happened to some of us at least once, and now Playtex has brought out a new line of wipes that can prep us for any moment where we may want to “get it in.” If you’re a woman on the go like I am, sometimes you just want to stop and freshen up before you start the next part of your day. I spotted these on my last store run, and decided to give it a try for you gals and guys.
http://www.freshandsexy.com/
Let’s start with the scent:
It’s fragrant, but not overbearing. I bought it and took it out to dinner with me; when I opened the pack – the entire bathroom stall smelled like fruit! I wasn’t afraid that it was too harsh, because I did read the ingredients before purchasing and there are a lot of botanicals infused in the wipes.
Are Fresh + Sexy™ wipes flushable?
Yes, Fresh + Sexy™ wipes are flushable. However, for best flushability, please flush one at a time.
Are Fresh + Sexy™ wipes hypoallergenic?
Yes, Fresh + Sexy™ wipes are hypoallergenic.
They did leave me feeling clean, though they are no substitute for a good ol’ shower. The wipes were nice and thick, so there was no rippage or residue afterwards. I flushed it with no problem and went out on my dinner date, and one wipe was definitely enough.
The price point is a lot higher than most of the other feminine wipes available, but the ingredients are considered safe, per my research, and the botanicals may prove beneficial to those with sensitive skin. I have included a chemical breakdown of those big-word ingredients to better understand what you’re buying.
The Verdict: I think $6 is a lot to spend on a pack of wipes that aren’t even considered “all natural.” The packaging is big and obvious if you’re trying to sneak in a quick fresh, and I’m pretty sure baby wipes will do the trick. I’ve got 18 more wipes to use, so we’ll see if they’re worth the money.
www.freshandsexy.com
Propylene Glycol – It is a colorless, nearly odorless, clear, viscous liquid with a faintly sweet taste, hygroscopic andmiscible with water, acetone, and chloroform. The toxicity of this chemical is very low, and one would have to ingest a whole lot of it to have any toxic side effects. It would be nearly impossible to reach toxic levels by consuming foods or supplements, which contain at most 1 g/kg of PG. Cases of propylene glycol poisoning are usually related to either inappropriate intravenous administration or accidental ingestion of large quantities by children. The moral of the story is: don’t stick it in your vagina or eat it.
Note:
The ingredients suggest that it may add a slight flavor to the genitals when used, but I have not tested this out yet. A lot of the ingredient combinations are used in food flavorings, so there may be an added perk to these wipes!
www.freshandsexy.com
What are all those chemical words?
Polysorbate 20 – Polysorbate 20 is a polysorbate surfactant whose stability and relative non-toxicity allows it to be used as a detergent and emulsifier in a number of domestic, scientific, and pharmacological applications. Herbalists and natural fragrance makers use it to bind the ingredients together in perfumes.
Disodium cocoamphodiacetate (DSCADA) is a synthetic amphoteric surfactant routinely used in personal care products. Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a moderate foamer and is recommended for sensitive skin, baby skin, facial products. For use in shampoos and body wash where optimum foam is desired, combine with another surfactant such as decyl glucoside and/or cocamidopropyl betaine for a mild high-foaming blend.
Tocopheryl acetate: also known as vitamin E acetate, is a common vitamin supplement with the molecular formula C31H52O3. It is the ester of acetic acid and tocopherol. It is often used in dermatological products such as skin creams. Tocopherol acetate has many potential nutrition and health applications, and it is commonly found in oral supplements as well as dermatological creams that are applied to your skin.
Butylene Glycol: Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are clear, practically colorless, liquids. In cosmetics and personal care products, these ingredients are used in the formulation of hair and bath products, eye and facial makeup, fragrances, personal cleanliness products, and shaving and skin care products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits Butylene Glycol to be used as a synthetic flavoring and adjuvant for direct addition to food.
Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate (SHMG): is a preservative used in many commercially available products, including shampoos, conditioners, soaps, moisturizers, body sprays, baby wipes, room sprays, cleaning agents, and pesticides. It is in a class of chemicals known as formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Notably, members of this class have been associated with allergic contact dermatitis, possibly due to the agents themselves, the formaldehyde they release, or both. Studies on SHMG in animals have demonstrated potential for sensitization and dermatitis, and formaldehyde-allergic patients have been reported to improve when products containing SHMG are avoided. Patients and providers need to be aware of this preservative.
Potassium sorbate: is the potassium salt of sorbic acid, chemical formula C6H7KO2. Its primary use is as a food preservative. Potassium sorbate is effective in a variety of applications including food, wine, and personal care products.
Disodium EDTA: is frequently found in ingredients lists of personal care products, manufactured foods and beverages, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, and skin care products. Disodium EDTA also has extensive industrial, medical and engineering applications and is one of the most important and widely used chemical compounds in modern human society. Disodium EDTA is commonly found in a wide range of personal care products, including contact solution, eye drops, shower and bath products, skin care preparations and cosmetics. It is also used as a preservative and stabilizer in many processed foods and beverages.
P.S. – this is not a paid advertisement. I actually spent $6 on these wipes at the supermarket. All reviews are unbiased and truthful from a writer’s perspective, and all ingredient information was researched by myself.
A federal judge ruled Friday that the government must make the most common morning-after pill available over the counter for all ages, instead of requiring a prescription for girls 16 and younger. In his ruling, he also accused the federal government of “bad faith” in dealing with the requests to make the pill universally available, and said its actions had been politically motivated.
The decision, on a fraught and politically controversial subject, comes after a decade-long fight over who should have access to the pill and under what circumstances. And it counteracts an unprecedented move by the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, who in 2011 overruled a recommendation by the Food and Drug Administration to make the pill available for all ages without a prescription.
In a decision in a lawsuit filed by advocates, the judge, Edward R. Korman of Federal District Court, ruled that the government’s refusal to lift restrictions on access to the pill was “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.”
Judge Korman ordered the F.D.A. to lift any age and sale restrictions on the pill, Plan B One-Step, and its generic versions, within 30 days.
“More than 12 years have passed since the citizen petition was filed and 8 years since this lawsuit commenced,” the judge wrote. “The F.D.A. has engaged in intolerable delays in processing the petition. Indeed, it could accurately be described as an administrative agency filibuster.”
He added, “The plaintiffs should not be forced to endure, nor should the agency’s misconduct be rewarded by, an exercise that permits the F.D.A. to engage in further delay and obstruction.”
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The F.D.A. and the Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment on the ruling or the judge’s harsh criticisms on Friday morning or to indicate whether the government would file an appeal, saying the decision, which was issued in the Eastern District of New York, was being reviewed. The Justice Department would only say it was reviewing the opinion.
Scientists, including those at the F.D.A., have been recommending unrestricted access for years, as have major medical groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics. They contend that the restrictions effectively keep many adolescents and younger teenagers from being able to use a safe drug in a timely way to prevent pregnancy, which carries greater safety risks than the morning-after pill.
In 2011, the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, issued a statement saying that after rigorous study, it was safe to sell Plan B One-Step over the counter for all ages. But she was overruled by Ms. Sebelius, the Health and Human Services secretary, the first time such a public countermanding had ever occurred.
How it works…
In her decision, Ms. Sebelius said that Plan B’s manufacturer had failed to study whether the drug was safe for girls as young as 11, about 10 percent of whom are physically able to bear children. But her decision was widely interpreted in a political context because emergency contraception has become an issue in the abortion debate and because allowing freer access to adolescents would prompt critics to accuse the Obama administration of supporting sexual activity for girls of that age. At the time, President Obama supported Ms. Sebelius’s decision, saying, “I will say this, as the father of two daughters: I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine.”
He added: “And as I understand it, the reason Kathleen made this decision was she could not be confident that a 10-year-old or an 11-year-old going into a drugstore should be able — alongside bubble gum or batteries — be able to buy a medication that potentially, if not used properly, could end up having an adverse effect. And I think most parents would probably feel the same way.”
The drug’s manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceuticals, declined to comment on the court decision handed down Friday. As far back as 2003, the manufacturer had petitioned the F.D.A. for Plan B to be available over the counter.
Plan B was approved in 1999 as a prescription-only product, and in 2001, the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a citizens petition for it to be made available over the counter or without a prescription. Scientists, including an expert advisory panel to the F.D.A., gave early support to that request. But top F.D.A. officials rejected the application because, some said later, they worried they would be fired if they approved it.
After years of F.D.A. delay on a promise to reconsider the morning-after pill decision, and as the lawsuit by advocates wound its way through the courts, the Bush administration in 2006 allowed over-the-counter sales to women 18 and older but required a prescription for those 17 and younger. Then in 2009, Judge Korman issued a ruling in the court case directing that the pill be made available over the counter for those 17 and older. In his 2009 ruling, the judge said the government’s actions on the pill had been driven by politics and not science.
In his ruling on Friday, Judge Korman also raised the issue of politics, saying that Ms. Sebelius’s decision was “politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, and contrary to agency precedent.”
Plan B One-Step consists of one pill with the active ingredient levonorgestrel, which can block fertilization if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse. It reduces the chance of pregnancy to one in 40; without the pill, women have about a one in 20 chance of becoming pregnant after unprotected sex. Two other drugs — Next Choice and Levonorgestrel Tablets — contain levonorgestrel in a two-pill version. The judge’s order also applies to those pills, although he said that if the F.D.A. ” actually believes there is any significant difference between the one- and two-pill products, it may limit its over-the-counter approval to the one-pill product.”
It’s a rumor I’ve heard before, even prior to “catching pregnant”; “pregnant sex is the best sex.” I, of course, wouldn’t be able to verify this until I became pregnant myself. I won’t lie, it’s a lot different from being without child – I actually felt my first motion of the baby after an afternoon “playdate” with hubby. I suppose all the activity surrounding the baby excited it, too – which made it ironic and slightly awkward, lol.
Is it better? I’d say yes. My body’s different; my breasts are plump(er) and even perkier than before. My butt’s grown a few inches and is rounder than it’s ever been. Hair’s growing and has such a great sheen to it, and don’t forget the glow – how can I not feel sexy right now?
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On the biological side of things, a woman’s libido (sexual energy) is known to go up with the rise in estrogen and other hormones during pregnancy.
Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright says: “Whether it’s her first or second trimester, some women experience increased sexual urges, at levels exceeding pre-pregnancy. During the second trimester in particular, many feel hot to trot for reasons far beyond their control. The vulva seems to have a mind of its own. Mother Nature is revving up a pregnant woman’s sex drive with increased vaginal lubrication, larger breasts, and increased vasocongestion (the flow of blood to the genitals) for heightened vulval sensitivity and a swollen, often to the point of aching, clitoris. A woman is literally a hot mama passion playground for her — and her partner — to enjoy.”
The next question is – how far along can you go into the pregnancy while having sex?
As long as you have the doctor’s approval, you can have sex right up to the point that she goes into labor. But you’ll have to alter your positions of choice as her pregnancy progresses in the second and third trimesters.
For instance, after the fourth month, it is not longer safe for her to lie flat on her back because the weight of the growing uterus puts pressure on major blood vessels.
Check out some of these moves that may make your sessions a little more comfortable for all three of you…
First Trimester Positions: 1-3 Months
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The T-Square: She lies flat on her back, you lie perpendicular on your side, forming a T-square shape. This is safe until about month four.
On the Edge of Missionary: Lie her on her back at the side or foot of the bed with her knees bent, and her feet perched at the edge of the mattress. You can either kneel or stand in front of her. This also should not be performed after the fourth month.
From the middle to the end, positioning gets even better…
Second Trimester Positions: 4-6 Months
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The Cowgirl: Basically this is the well-known and loved “woman on top” position. This is great during pregnancy because it allows her to control the pace and depth of penetration and it puts no weight on her abdomen.
Have a Seat: Sit in a chair and have her sit on your lap and enter her from a sitting position. This puts no weight on the uterus and gives her lots of control. She can either sit facing you or facing away.
The Perp Search: She leans against a wall facing away from you with arms and legs spread, as if you’re about to frisk her from behind.
Third Trimester Positions: 7-9 Months
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Spoon Man: You lie on your side, with your knees bent while she lies on her side, with her back pressed against you, her legs slightly parted and her knees bent.
Leap Frog: This is her on all fours, like doggy style but with one major change: She rests her arms and head on the mattress. That way, it’s easier to hold up the weight of her stomach.
Remember: If intercourse is deemed too risky, you can always resort to oral sex alone.
When to stop
She should know at what month to stop having sex, as the doctor will advise her about it. But if you need to be sure, accompany her to her doctor’s appointments.
Some doctors recommend that all women stop having sex during the final weeks of pregnancy. This is just as a safety precaution, because semen contains a chemical that may actually stimulate contractions.
Most doctors advise that you stop having sexual intercourse with her if she is at risk of:
A premature birth or labor
A condition called placenta pravia (Where part of the placenta is covering the cervix)
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What to expect during & after sex
Sometimes we feel responsible if pregnant women have certain symptoms or pains during or after having sex that they normally wouldn’t feel. But they are not caused by you per se, but rather the situation. These symptoms could include cramps, abdominal pain or even light contractions.
Women often experience mild contractions during sex and when having an orgasm, but these contractions are false alarms, and are not powerful enough to start labor unless it’s imminent. These contractions may continue for about half an hour after sex. They are not dangerous to her or the baby.
Her uterus may experience spasms during sex which are different from contractions. This is normal and not dangerous.
She may feel some pain during or after sex if the fetus’ head is situated deep in her pelvis. This is not worrisome.
She may get cramps during and after an orgasm. Sometimes this is combined with a backache. This is to be expected and is not a sign of any problem.
Labor of love
Sex can be quite pleasurable while she’s pregnant, for you and for her. Unless the doctor tells her otherwise, sex during pregnancy is safe for her and the baby. So don’t feel bad about indulging.
“Does ejaculation always accompany an orgasm? or is it possible to ejaculate without or prior to getting an orgasm?”
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Excellent question. As human beings, we may assume that the two acts go hand in hand. Scientifically and biologically speaking however, there are ways for the body to create one without the other. “The Frisky’s” writer, Kate Hakala goes into detail about how you can orgasm without ejaculation or vice versa. I have highlighted the meat of the answer for you 🙂
Think back to when your parents first told you, as you uncomfortably sat across from them on the couch with sweaty palms, about the birds and the bees. Your mom told you a sweet little tale about how a sperm meets an egg, the egg is fertilized, a baby grows in her stomach, and in nine months, it is miraculously born. Did she skip the part about, “By the way, a man can have an orgasm without ejaculating, and he can ejaculate without having an orgasm?” I thought so.
While defining the female orgasm is often met with consternation, most of us see the male orgasm as pretty straight forward. But it isn’t always. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the same process when men orgasm and when they ejaculate.
Let’s define the big O so we are all on the same page.
An orgasm is the peak in sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, characterized by a release in sexual tension, often immense pleasure, and muscle contractions in the genital region. Orgasm can also come along with increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased respiration, and possible spasms in the extremities. The degree of an orgasm can vary due to state of mind, physical factors, and in all honesty, randomness.
Whereas, ejaculation is the release of semen out of the tip of the penis. It sounds like a little more confetti and a lot less party, but it does propagate the species. While not always, ejaculation and orgasm are found together more often than not.
But, what about those times when sex play with a man leads to euphoria, but you look down, and all that’s come out are metaphorical tumbleweeds?
A dry orgasm can happen intentionally and not so intentionally. A well trained pubococcygeal muscle (PC) can lead to orgasm without ejaculation. The PC muscle goes from the pubic bone to the coccyx horizontally, creating a comfy hammock of a pelvic floor. It controls urine flow as well as involuntarily contractions during orgasm (note: not ejaculation). By voluntarily contracting the PC muscles during Kegel exercises, both men and women can strengthen their perineal core. Not only will we be less likely to pee our pants, but doctors say this helps with erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and—ding, ding, ding—orgasming without ejaculating.
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While we wouldn’t boast about our reps at the gym, keeping up with Kegel exercises has some big benefits for both genders—the potential to make us come harder and have more control over our entire downstairs area. For men, it can also mean the ability to release semen at greater distances. If men flex this muscle right before they feel they are about to ejaculate, they can sometimes have an orgasm without coming. How can a guy feel his PC muscle working? He can feel the muscles he uses to stop peeing mid-stream, and when he isn’t in the bathroom, tighten and release that same muscle. He can try this at first on his own, or with a partner, but it may take tempered breathing, practice, time, determination, and a bit of self restraint to reap the benefits of this southern work out.
A big benefit of becoming a master of one’s man parts? It can mean multiple orgasms for men. After a man ejaculates, there is a refractory period—a recovery stage of the sexual response cycle—in which he cannot ejaculate again and most likely will want a snooze. He may be able to get an erection, but there is a bit of a waiting period that’s different for all men, sometimes minutes and sometimes a day, before he can actually produce semen again. While ejaculation causes the need for a refractory period, orgasm does not. Because of this, it has been documented that when some sexually precocious young boys play with themselves before they hit puberty, the young lads will be pleasantly surprised to find they can orgasm without ejaculating. This can be achieved with the older set as well.
Doctors use the term “ejaculatory inevitability” to describe the point of no return in which a man has reached a threshold of sexual excitement in which he will and must ejaculate. If a man can continually bring himself almost to the point of no return, and then back away, he can experience the muscle contractions associated with orgasm up until he finally does ejaculate. And when he finally does reach orgasm, it might feel even deeper and more incredible than the usual market brand. Men with a quick sexual refractory period, but maybe less baby batter in their stores, also have the potential to achieve dry orgasm shortly after initial orgasm accompanied by ejaculation. In both cases, the effect is akin to the multiple orgasms experienced by some women.
What could be the downside to all this glorious orgasm without jizzing? Retrograde ejaculation. Yes, I just said that. That’s when semen flows backwards into the bladder through the urethra instead of coming out the normal spout. A man will feel all the pleasures of orgasm, but no fluid will have been released. After this has happened, the man experiencing this Marty McFly retro splooge might notice his pee is a little cloudy. Retrograde ejaculation can be a side effect of diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or men who just had prostate surgery. So, if this keeps up, get thee to a doctor.
What about the other side of things, when a guy is gushing, but there there is a marked absence of pleasure?
Most of us know the realm of male sexual dysfunction can involve premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation, and impotence, but anorgasmic ejaculation, or ejaculation without climax, is rarely spoken of. If a man suffers from this, libido and erectile quality are usually not impeded. The sexual activity of an anorgasmic ejaculator is regular until a peak is reached during sex, he releases sperm, and ejaculates, but doesn’t receive the usual sensations of an orgasm. In other words, he goes to Splash Mountain without the trip to Magic Kingdom.
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You might have rolled your eyes when your health teacher said it, but the brain really is the most important sexual organ. Orgasm is a process of the brain, whereas ejaculation is very much a bodily response. So, your head has to be in the game for your whole sexual response system to be in working order. That’s why anorgasmic ejaculation, though sometimes attributed to spinal nerve damage and recovery from pelvic surgery, is most commonly caused by psychological factors. It is associated with stress, anxiety, use of antidepressants, alcoholism, depression, emotional problems, performance anxiety, or trauma. Things like stress and depression can weigh on the mind and slowly work their way down to the penis. Sometimes, the issue is not the absence of an orgasm in the man as much as the absence of feeling it happen. The best way to approach this problem is by consulting a doctor, possibly seeking therapy, and working his way past whatever mental blocks are fighting off the feel-good sensors in his body.
Guys out there—remember, whether you’re coming without sperm, with sperm, or only sperm, you still need to practice safe sex and have an open dialogue. There is and always will be an exception to every human body’s rule, especially when you’re fiddling around with baby-making instruments. It’s loopholes like dry orgasms and wet no-gasms that help keep the world interesting. There will always be newfangled ways to make the beast with two backs. The best news of all is that whether it is the brain or the groin, doctors say the most successful way to cure what ails you is always exercise, exercise, exercise.
For more information on controlling your PC muscles (also known as Kegels) – click here.
Our newest guest writer, Charlie, puts a spin on the Coming Out experience. Another example of how different people can share the same experiences.
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Coming out, to many of my friends as well as myself is viewed as a thing of the past. There have been a series of trials and triumphs that people of the Queer community have faced and later prevailed that there should be no need for one to “come out”. Unfortunately for many of us, coming out is not a declaration that is made once or twice. In each one of our settings including but not limited to our schools, churches, homes and wherever else we allow our beings to reside creates a place for us to declare ourselves as “out”.
My coming out story is not one that is neatly packaged with bows and ribbons but rather in newspaper, no bows and the package bursting at the seams. Growing up in between the two boroughs of Harlem and Brooklyn New York, I would overhear the word gay. From lack of anything but the basis of context clues, I concluded that only men could be “gay”. I never knew of anything outside of gay and straight. It wasn’t until around 7th grade when a female classmate sat on my lap during gym class while confessing she was bi-sexual, did I know any other form sexual identity existed. I had crushes on females since kindergarten where I was always forced to play the role of the baby during playtime. But little did I know, I wasn’t gay because I was not a man loving another man. After further researching my new learned term bi-sexual, I came out in school to my peers as bi-sexual. Although I had researched the definition, I was unprepared for the glares of people who believed that I was nasty for admitting openly that I liked females and males. All I knew was that the girl who sat on my lap and first peaked my interest as to exploring my sexuality, gave me my first lesbian kiss. In the words of Katy Perry “I kissed a girl and I liked it”. Some people accused me of being greedy and curious. Of course I took offense and stood my ground. But due to the pressure I felt to choose whether I preferred men or women more decreased the confidence needed to declare my bisexuality to anyone else. On a more positive note, during this time was when I met my first openly gay man. He was a grade above me but he was open about being feminine, having crushes on male celebrities and only hanging with the girls. He was only the tip of the iceberg of my experience with other folks of the queer community.
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In high school I dated a female for the first time. I still identified as bi-sexual because I had yet to actually have sex with another female. At the time, the rumor was that lesbians were women who only liked having sex with other women. During that time, I only had sex with males and physically enjoyed the experience. In the same breath, I would find myself fantasizing about women, during sex with men and any other chance I got. I finally gained the courage to take the leap of faith and had sex with a female which was promptly followed by a phone call to my best friends at the time stating that I was definitely a lesbian. From then on, I continued to have full blown relationships with women, some sexual, others not. But it was a serious blow to the males I dated prior to this statement. I swiftly broke up with the guy I was dating, informed all of my ex’s with confidence and awaited the guilt trips I knew I would receive. Some of them took it lightly, others would use insults and the Bible to convince me that what I had decided was unnatural and against God. It seems today, just as it did back then that it was all in the effort to have sex with me again. With my new found relationship and identity as a lesbian, came the urge to inform my parents of the changes and trials I was facing and exploring. Although it could have been worse, it got pretty bad. My mother felt like I was forcing my new found identity down her throat, using it to embarrass her. Other family members were convinced that God and some “good dick” would “cure” me. A select few peers and others believed I only liked women because they thought that women knew how to treat other women. Most of the popular guys in school ignored me or disliked me. Regardless of the struggle of being a lesbian, another hurdle presented itself when I began to purchase my own attire which so happened to consist of men’s clothing. In the eyes of peers and my family, I was on a path to hell with intentions of being a man. Obviously, I was highly naive in believing that this wouldn’t add fuel to the fire. Fortunately, the storm eased up a bit when I entered college; at least at school.
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I entered college identifying as lesbian, dating women who were masculine centered yet uncomfortable as to how to explain being a masculine centered female who dated other masculine centered females. I have always been pretty comfortable being feminine and somewhat unaware as to how masculine I actually was. My search for some understanding and much of my exploration flourished and was nurtured in a Downelink chat room with other women who identified as lesbians. Many did not fit the mold of hetero normative structure within their relationships, others that did, found themselves exiting just as quickly as they entered. The social networking site became my first real insight as to who I was sexually. It provided resources of various plays on gender roles and relationship structures. Stating who the man was in the lesbian relationship became common knowledge to be an extremely nonsensical question. The chat room was the first time I had spoken to transsexual women and men as well as older women who still identified as being dykes. Collectively we identified ourselves as Studs for Studs or S4S. When I say I met these people, I mean that we spoke as well as became highly involved in one another’s lives literally. To most people outside of the chat room, I was weird and “gayer” than usual. In their minds, I was a woman who was portraying a man with other women who did the same.
Throughout college I have learned to release myself from the boxes I have been checked into. The struggles continues with my family as to the “phase” I am still going through. But I love who I love. I pride myself on having that right as well as that option and I use it freely. I enjoy a mix of physical masculinity and emotional femininity, but those vary just as does my own femininity and masculinity. In the end, there is no one and nothing to come out to but yourself.
You Could Be Pregnant For Over A Year
A Male Fetus Can Get Erections In The Womb
Your Entire Undercarriage Might Need Stitches
You May Just Poop Yourself
You Really Will Glow
Your Sense of Smell Gets Better
Contractions Don’t Stop After Birth
You Don’t Really Need To Eat For Two
Your Feet Can Grow Up To One Full Shoe Size
The Father Might Show Symptoms of Pregnancy
