The frequency of sexual intercourse during pregnancy. 1975

N M Morris

Reports of day-by-day sexual activity for the previous week were collected from a total community sample of over 900 pregnant and nonpregnant Thai women of childbearing age during a fertility survey in 1967-1968. About 13% of the women were pregnant. Examination of the women's intercourse frequencies at various stages of pregnancy revealed a downward trend as pregnancy progressed. However, a difference between the mean frequency for age-matched, nonmenstruating, nonpregnant women and that during any stage of pregnancy was not statistically significant at the p = 0.05 level (t test, two-tailed) until the seventh month. Much individual variation existed among the women. Complete abstinence from intercourse during the previous week reached a peak of 72.7% in the ninth month. The increase in abstinence with the progression of pregnancy appeared linear. The importance of these data lies in two methodological facts: they were collected from a total population sample and are therefore unbiased by sample selection; the women were not asked to report their "average" frequencies for some time period in the past. Reports of behavior on each day of only the preceding week were the basis for the conclusion. Although the women are from a different culture, lay and professional advice concerning intercourse during pregnancy is similar to that in the United States. Because intercourse may be discouraged, particularly in the third trimester, it is difficult to attribute the observation of the gradual decline in frequency to a "physiological" reason. This tempting hypothesis, however, is worthy of further study.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011263 Pregnancy Trimester, Third The last third of a human PREGNANCY, from the beginning of the 29th through the 42nd completed week (197 to 294 days) of gestation. Pregnancy, Third Trimester,Trimester, Third,Last Trimester,Last Trimesters,Pregnancies, Third Trimester,Pregnancy Trimesters, Third,Third Pregnancy Trimester,Third Pregnancy Trimesters,Third Trimester,Third Trimester Pregnancies,Third Trimester Pregnancy,Third Trimesters,Trimester, Last,Trimesters, Last,Trimesters, Third
D003075 Coitus The sexual union of a male and a female, a term used for human only. Sexual Intercourse,Coital Frequency,First Intercourse,Coital Frequencies,First Intercourses,Frequencies, Coital,Frequency, Coital,Intercourse, First,Intercourse, Sexual,Intercourses, First
D003431 Cross-Cultural Comparison Comparison of various psychological, sociological, or cultural factors in order to assess the similarities or diversities occurring in two or more different cultures or societies. Transcultural Studies,Comparison, Cross-Cultural,Comparisons, Cross-Cultural,Cross Cultural Comparison,Cross-Cultural Comparisons,Studies, Transcultural,Study, Transcultural,Transcultural Study
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults

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