Myth #41: Pregnancy Myths

friends along the way. We believe in healthy sex positive pleasure focused sex education, backed by real research and real experience. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter at sex ed debunked or email us at sex ed [email protected] to share your sex, miseducation tales and the myths you'd like to hear us the book. Thanks for listening. Hi, and welcome to sex ed debunked across generational podcast about sex positivity, sexual health and bonds in the

oven. eating for two and all the other weird ways we talk about pregnancy. People are so strange. The stork is coming. Expecting in the family way. That's my favorite actually. That's old school. Yeah, I know. But it's funny. I just euphemisms make me

laugh? Well, anyway, in today's episode, we're tackling the myths around pregnancy, both for the childbearing person and their partner, considering that all of us were you know, born, yes, we were we were at one point, objectively speaking, we were all born at one point or another. But there seems to be a lot of myths around the birthing process. Having a baby pregnancy, especially as it relates to having sex. And it also includes that when you're pregnant with a child, can you

have sex? When can you have sex as well as after having a child and what happens to your body? Which, you know, I know nothing about. Candidly, this is not a topic I've really thought about before, because I've never been really ever even considered being pregnant. But there was a really interesting article that was shared. This week, I think you sent it to me, somebody sent it to me, I'm like, I can't keep track. Sorry, my inbox is full.

But the title of the article was millennial moms are having postpartum sex before they're ready. And the article references a 2019 study in which 31% of new moms said that they had postpartum sex before they were ready. And 38% reported that it took six to 12 months before they were actually interested in sexual intimacy again, so interesting numbers. But again, I'm not a mom, mom. So what do you think about what

do I think about it? Well, I think first of all, we're definitely I'm glad we're talking to an expert about these types of things. But for me, not spoiler. Bailey again, I talked to Kaylee again, but for me, you know, I had two pregnancies. One I was quite young. So I really, I was really much more concerned about the pregnancy itself, rather than my own sexuality, because it was such a kind of momentous occasion and, and just, it was unusual to be young person pregnant. In my era, shall we say?

Well, you know, I was pregnant during college. So how I was going to figure things out was much more prominent on my mind than my sexuality. The second time around, I eat with you, Shannon. There was definitely a feeling of more hormones, and more feeling of intimacy, and I was still able to be in my body because I already had a child. So I knew it was going to happen. And I had less fear, less anxiety, less concerns going on. But even then, I would say I'm proud I was, I wouldn't

say it was 12 months. But I was definitely a person that felt like I needed to wait at least six to eight weeks before my body was felt like my body. Again, I was fortunate with you, actually, with both of you and your brother, that I lost the weight really quickly, and I got my body back really quickly. I didn't because I was professional. I didn't breastfeed, so my body came back faster. And I think that might be a factor as well in terms of

ready for sex. And what I'm really curious about asking Kaylee about is, is this ready for sex? Is it just being mentally ready? Or is there something in your body post pregnancy that the childbearing person should actually wait for? And as you may have guessed, we've brought back an actual expert to help us tackle this myth. We brought back our friend and family medicine with obstetrics expert Dr. Kaylee InDeck to help address some of the most common myths around

pregnancy and sexuality. Here's a clip from that interview. Hi, Kaylee. Welcome back to the show. Thank you so much. So before we jump into this very big important topic about sex and pregnancy myths, can you just give our listeners a quick reminder of your background and why we brought you on here today? Yeah, so I'm a family medicine physician and I specialize in reproductive health. I work outpatient at Thunder mist Health Center.

are doing, you know, full scope, primary care focusing on kind of reproductive issues. And then I also have a low risk, obstetrics practice, and I deliver babies at Landmark. So very comfortable taking care of folks throughout pregnancies during deliveries, and then after the postpartum period. So welcome. It's so good to talk to you again. So part of the reason we've had actually a lot of listeners ask about different myths around pregnancy.

But one of the first things I want to kind of do as an overview that we talked about is this article that spoke about Millennial Moms a high percentage over over 35%, I think, in 2019, who were, quote, having sex before they were ready. And one of the things that struck me about the article is that I think there was a presumption that having sex is penis and vagina intercourse.

And so when we're talking to you today about having sex, I wanted to try to use those brought a broader term and understand that there's different types of sexual activity, obviously, for all sorts of folks, and to talk about the different types of sexual activity in the context of pregnancy during pregnancy, and then after pregnancy. Absolutely.

Great. So there's a lot of questions and we're going to kind of rapid fire you a little bit, I think, because this is one of the topics that we've had the most one of the most user engagement questions that we've had is just kind of like bucket after bucket after bucket of questions. So we're gonna we're gonna put you on the hot seat a little bit. Sure. I'm ready. Cool. So would you like to start with a rabbit first? How far into pregnancy? Can the childbearing person have safe

penis vagina intercourse? Yeah, so for most pregnancies, so most any low risk pregnancy, it's actually safe to have penis and vagina sex all the way up till delivery. Really there, there's really only one big medical contraindication to it. And that's something called placenta previa. So in some parents, the placenta actually grows kind of over the inside part of the cervix. And that would be the only condition in which you it's

a strict no sex policy. Other folks, it's kind of maybe a little bit of a gray area, like if there's a concern for preterm

labor. So for example, if a pregnant person is higher risk, and they have had some bleeding later in their pregnancy, or they've had some, you know, contractions, forced labor, they may be told by their doctor that they shouldn't have penis in vagina sex, but overall, it is safe for low risk folks without those two medical issues to engage in sex all the way up to delivery, whether they feel comfortable doing that as a whole other story, but as far as medical complications.

Okay, that's good to know. So but then it does, of course, bring up the next question of, you know, okay, but is that is that going to be enjoyable for both partners? And is there are there sexual activities or sexual positions that are more beneficial to the childbearing person? Yeah. So I think kind of walking, we kind of walk through a pregnancy chronologically. So in the beginning stages of

pregnancy. You know, the biggest things in the first trimester that people experience are nausea and fatigue, just, you know, overall not feeling well. And so that may be a time where people do not want to engage, engage in sexual activity, usually, then in second timeout, and this is all just kind of what I hear from my patients. But in second trimester, people tend to feel a lot better. And so that might be where most or many people would feel more comfortable, engaging in sexual

activity. And then when they make it into the third trimester, that's when things get to, you know, you have a bigger belly, there's things pushing on the inside of your cervix. And so sex, penis and vagina sex can become more uncomfortable. As far as positions that could be better for folks, you really don't want to lay flat on your back in later stages of pregnancy. Because doing so can decrease the circulation to your uterus into your brain so people can feel dizzy if they

lay on their back. So and then you also don't want to be putting pressure on your stomach. So what I tell people is like sideline positions, all fours, those are the most safe and most comfortable positions. I think for a lot of folks to like deep penetration can be very uncomfortable towards the end of pregnancy. So we can kind of get into this more in later questions, but maybe sexual activity that's not you know, penis or vagina penetration can still be pleasurable, again,

that pregnancy. Let's let's talk about that. How about oral sex during pregnancy? Is there anything preventing that at any stage that's going to be a barrier? No, there isn't. I think you know, the one the one risk of, of sex and pregnancy is pregnant folks who contract an STI can be at risk for preterm labor and complications. So as long as you know the status of your partner, oral sex can be safe to engage in at any stage in pregnancy. Once again, As long as you're actually in the mood for it,

right. One of our questions that someone had was can orgasm bring on premature birth? Yeah. So, typically, typically the answer is no unless somebody is already experiencing the signs of preterm labor. So orgasm itself, no orgasm can cause uterine cramping and cause what are called Braxton Hicks contractions. I think in very rare cases that could progress to labor, but it's not something we really like caution folks against, because I think the

incidence is just so rare. So what I tell folks is like after, you know, after sex or after orgasm, you may experience cramping, it should wane over time. And if it's increasing, or if you're having any, you know, bleeding, that those would be reasons to seek care, but otherwise, some cramping after orgasm is completely normal and not harmful.

Got it? So, you know, you may be familiar, there was a whole bunch of episodes in Grey's Anatomy, where they suggested and I think there's research support this, that orgasm can actually help pain tolerance during labor. Have you experienced that with patients? I do love bringing that up and in media being like, okay, how can we make this pregnancy sexier? Yeah, so I think the places in which I trained to do obstetrics were not, I would, I would say, not the most holistic in terms of their

practices. But I think a lot of doula practices like do talk about this or even midwifery practices. Because yes, it is true. That obviously, the the hormones that surround delivery, and also are involved in sex, it's oxytocin, and that releases adrenaline, which can cause pain relief. And so it all physiologically makes a lot of

sense. And there are a ton of anecdotes that that people have utilized masturbation during labor to help with pain relief, so I believe it, I have yet to experience it with patients, but it is something I think now I'm in a in a little bit more of a birth center type environment. So I am interested to see if my patients would would go for this. I think anything to relieve pain during the labor process is really fascinating

and desired. So yeah, I don't think it's something that's widely used, but physiologically, it does make sense. And I think it kind of checks out Yes. Yeah. It's not just for television. I think so. Well, the connection between orgasm and pain tolerance is supported in other areas of the literature, not around childbirth. So perhaps we can also encourage giving the childbearing person orgasms during pregnancy even for back pain. Why not? Why not? You deserve?

So how about when a pregnancy and how that impacts the partner in terms of the partners desire? And is that something that you are familiar with navigating in pregnancy? Yeah, so I think it really depends, it depends on the relationship and sort of the pre existing sex life between the couple or between the people involved. Prior to the

pregnancy. I don't think there's a, you know, a specific trends that I noticed, I would say, I think that one of the areas of tension that I hear about a lot from my patients is that the pregnant person is not feeling not having much of a libido not feeling desirable, because of their body changes, and not feeling comfortable physically, or like emotionally, potentially, in their body, and their partner still wants to engage in sex. And so I think that's the biggest, like area of

tension that I noticed. And, and, you know, I think having, you know, going back to just like communication, I think the partner, the partner needs to be understanding that this is a period of time in which you know, sex might be off the table, and focusing on other areas of intimacy within the relationship may be the only

option. And I think, you know, that that goes for the entire pregnancy and postpartum period, I would say that's the biggest thing is sort of that the pregnant person feeling lack of desire, and then non-pregnant person, you know, feeling frustrated about that, which is valid, but that sort of that is, you know, that's part of this phase of life and acceptance and communication and figuring out other ways to get one's needs met is kind of what I, when I encourage my patients to do.

That's, I really love what you said about focusing on other types of intimacy, because, you know, there's a little person coming into your life, so you better focus on that get used to the focusing on other types of intimacy, right? I mean, it's gonna be a pretty big change. And if you can focus on finding intimate moments, small, intimate moments and other ways it's gonna better prepare you for when that child actually comes into the world, too. Yeah, but it can definitely put a

strain on relationships. And so I think I would encourage folks who are considering getting pregnant just like have these conversations beforehand about Like how might this impact our relationship? And how can we overcome that? You know, that's really super smart. Because I think a lot of people talk about having babies, but really don't talk about the impact on them personally, they talk about preparing for the baby, but not preparing their relationship,

right? They prepare to be parents, but not to be new partners. Yeah, that's really just smart insight, Kaley. So let's talk a little bit post pregnancy. If there's a time for in terms of the woman's body, childbearing, this is a good question coming out of what we were just talking about, too. So the question go ahead is when is the when is the childbearing person's body ready? I know we talked about the mental readiness, but what about their

body? Is there any impediments to first sexual activity in general? Yeah, so some, you know, if someone had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, no complications with tears or anything like that, they may be reading you sooner than we actually recommend. But the recommendation that we make across the board is nothing in

the vagina for six weeks. That gives the uterus time to relax back down to its normal size that you know, any vaginal wall, tears or stretch it like that, that kind of gives it time to heal. I've had patients who have become sexually active as soon as three or four weeks, that's much more rare. And then for folks with like more complicated situations, if they needed surgery, C sections their bodies may take longer than that, but we say at a minimum six weeks. Now, does

that include any other type? You said nothing in the vagina? But you could I assume there could be other stimulation, if you're in the mood general stimulation, breast stimulation, if you if you're in the mood for it other types of stimulation or Okay, or is orgasm itself somehow a problem? Yeah, I don't think that orgasm itself is a problem. It's really, I think the six weeks is really related to like risk of infection.

And, you know, pain. So I think other people are feeling comfortable, you know, other forms of manual stimulation are fine. You know, again, one of our specific questions was about orgasm and breastfeeding. And if there's any relationship between orgasm breastfeeding and having sex after pregnancy, yeah, I actually was reading a little

bit about this as well. And they're so breastfeeding actually read a statistic in an article that like 30, to 50%, of of lactating people have experienced sexual arousal while breastfeeding. And so I think it's just a normal, physiologic response to nipple stimulation. And it shouldn't be stigmatized that some people might experience this. But yeah, so I mean, similarly, you know, nipple stimulation increases oxytocin, it's all the

same pathway of hormones. So that can be you know, that can cause you know, feelings of arousal. When folks are breastfeeding, they can get uterine contractions, which, typically right after delivery, that can be very painful and crampy. And people, you know, may be averse to breastfeeding because of that pain that they experience. But I was also reading in this that after a while, sometimes folks can, that can also feel more like orgasm, like that

contraction in the pelvis. So yeah, definitely a lot of crossovers between. I do think overall, the thing I hear from patients is just, it's more discomfort than anything from both of those sensations. But you know, certainly possible to have, it's not usually great. Crossover, it's perfectly normal. And it's not something to feel any type of shame, or

stigma. Absolutely. Absolutely. Um, so while we're talking about that, you know, another, I think, important subset of this conversation is your body changes during pregnancy and after pregnancy. And one of the questions that we've had brought up many, many, many times is sort of the myth of the loose vagina, or if any, if it is a myth. So is this real? And what are people really referring to

when they say that? Yeah, so two things sort of happened during during delivery, and we're talking about general deliveries. So obviously, the vaginal mucosa itself has to make way for the baby to come through. And then as the result of birth, the pelvic floor muscles and the fascia kit, they get stretched. And so the actual vaginal tissue does return back to its normal size after delivery. Usually that can it can take like six

weeks to six months. It really depends on the person but typically pretty shortly after delivery, the vagina contracts back to its pre gravid pre birth size. However any like any stretching done to those pelvic floor muscles that can be permanent and that can worsen with subsequent pregnancies, which is why a lot of folks who've had pregnancies have things like incontinence and the so the answer is yes and no, I think some people can experience that feeling of

looseness. And that is more so from the laxity of the muscles in the pelvic floor. Really then like the actual vaginal canal, regardless, it's like, you know, if someone's feeling that way, what do we do

about it? And really, the answer is, as cliche as it is, is like, you know, pelvic floor exercises, key goals, that actually is the recommendation, but even more, so I would say, anyone with any sort of like birth trauma, so like, you know, anyone who needed stitches, anyone with a prolonged like, who pushed for a very long time, who had prolonged labor should definitely ask their doctor to refer them to pelvic floor physical therapy. Really, any person who's given birth would

benefit from it. But I know in some places, it's really hard to access that type of care. So at a minimum, if you had some sort of, you know, complicated or traumatic birth experience, pelvic floor PT can help strengthen those muscles and hopefully, bring your body back to its, you know, comfortable physiology. So So I think there is some, I would say, it's not entirely a myth, but it's more related to the muscles than it is to the actual vaginal canal.

Okay, so there's there is something you can do about it now, in how hard is it to find up? Would you say, a pelvic floor physical therapist, and I've heard that, but is that something that you as a, as a family doctor, or an OBGYN can refer you to? Because there may be, there may be listeners out there who maybe have had, you know, had their pregnancies several years ago? Would it still be helpful for someone who's, you know, child, or, you know, already six or eight or

10? Or something like that? Yeah, I think so. I think with any, you know, any physical, like manual treatment, it's like, it's never too late for something like that. You're strengthening muscles. And there are folks here in Providence, through some of the different physical therapy companies around, definitely in bigger cities, it's going to be easier to access the folks who are more, you know, rural, they may not have access to a pelvic floor, feet, PT, any doctor can

refer. So if you are, you know, years out from a pregnancy and you just see a, you know, primary care physician, you can ask them for if there's somebody in the area? If not, I think the the second best thing is just, you know, there are YouTube videos and online resources, you can look up, like how to strengthen my pelvic floor and do like some home exercises. That yeah, I think, just as the, you know, the rest of the medical world that like the most important resources are kind of

difficult to access. Yeah. Is that something too, that you would recommend like before and during the pregnancy as well, it seems that we would, it would really assist the labor and delivery to have a strong pelvic

floor. Yeah, absolutely. I do. I recommend that people do exercise and pelvic floor during pregnancy, and also practice pushing, like practice that feeling of contracting and pushing down on the pelvic floor, that can help folks in labor have more effective pushing, and therefore, you know, a short, potentially shorter course. And so I do I do recommend that people do that during their pregnancies. Yeah,

that's interesting. I don't think that's certainly not something I've thought about before, like, we've heard about the after effects of it being coming loose, but it actually makes a lot of sense that if you're training before that, well, labor, as I've often said, labor is labor. Yeah, we don't we we prepare our bodies by nutrition, but we forget to prepare, I was used physically.

For some people, you know, it's literally a marathon, running a marathon and then throw a baby out, and it's gonna be crazy. Right? Yikes. Okay, so, loose vagina is not a myth. But there are ways to intervene and is more about the vaginal wall in that process, but I think Southside I'll just add, like, I think one of my mentors always said, you know, after delivery, you have a

new wiser vagina. And I think it's, you know, it's like, also like, destigmatizing, that your body like, you just had a baby, like, your body is going to change. And that is a beautiful thing. And, you know, and there are ways to still, you know, I think, like, embrace this next phase of your life. It's like, you're, you know, we don't we're, I don't want to I don't want folks to feel ashamed about the way that their body has changed after carrying a baby. This is like a huge a huge

transition in their life. And so yeah, it is okay. Like, I think that the the bigger problem is the stigma about that, like the loose vagina. Well, and I'm glad you brought that up, because that was kind of those were some of the questions we had in sort of wrapping up were about the relationship between desire and sexual satisfaction after pregnancy.

You as a result of that body change, because to your point, I think the stigma for the childbearing person clearly can have an effect on how they feel as a sexual being. And so what you just said, makes a lot of sense. But whatever you can kind of offer on, you know, does post pregnancy have an effect on sexual satisfaction? Yeah, I

think it definitely does. And I think that the biggest things I hear, you know, obviously, exhaustion from caring for a new baby, especially for like, folks who are breastfeeding are, you know, they're using a lot of their energy to lactate and be up at all hours of the night and utilizing their body in that way. I think that a lot of folks just feel like sex becomes the last thing on their list of priorities, which, like we talked about, like can cause challenges within relationships.

And so making sure that as a partner of a postpartum person, not only are you understanding, but also like, I think most, most postpartum people would agree that like the best shot at achieving sexual desire is if their partner is very helpful with the being helpful with the chores around the house, it's like, if you want, he was really we've called that chore play.

I love Yeah, to our flight, I Yes, I think I think that is what I would offer to, to the partners, you know, make sure that, you know, everyone wants to feel cared for and when, when you're postpartum, you are putting all of your care into

the baby. And so if the partner can help with the baby, and also care for the postpartum person, and find other ways to be intimate, you know, I think like, postpartum pain is like a big thing for a lot of people neck pain, and especially if you're breastfeeding, back pain. So like things like massage and other ways to like, be intimate with your partner can really help kind of bring you back into a, you know, an area in which sex may be on the table.

And I think other you know, other body changes, like, I think a lot of folks struggle with, you know, their weight after pregnancy and feeling like a there's a huge societal pressure to like, get back to your pre pregnancy body and, you know, then that's, that's a lot of, I think that's a lot of pressure that can lead to self esteem issues. And that also impacts, you know, how you feel

desirable. So, I think these are all bigger, sort of societal things that decrease, you know, the, the desire or the, you know, libido and, and how we would work to fixing that is, I think, just talking more about it. Yeah. And I appreciate you bringing up the the exhaustion, right, it's not necessarily that you don't want to have sex or want to be intimate with your partner, it's that your body just went through a traumatic event, for all intents and

purposes. And now you went through that are recovering from that, and oh, yeah, have a baby. Things are gonna, your priorities are gonna shift. And I think you've said it several times, but finding different ways to be intimate and finding different ways to feel satisfied and seen and supported by your partner. But also, as the church childbearing partner is a good way to maintain that support and that love in your relationship. The other side of that is good sexual activity is a really good

thing. And you know, moms tend to say, Oh, I'm putting my my good thing last. And if a partner can say, I want to be sexually intimate for you, then maybe that would help with the desire, arousal and exhaustion. So I guess that comes down to is it possible after having a child? Can sex actually be better with your wiser older, wiser? Yeah, I mean, I think it I think that all like varies couple, a

couple. And I think it's that having a family like that can really like impact relationships and positive ways to obviously, and bringing people closer together. I think it's a process and it's really, it's individual. And if there's, you know, like with everything, if there's good communication and patience and love and kindness, then then I can, you know, you're you're moving through a new phase of life, and that can be very bonding and bring about closeness and partnerships that

wasn't there prior. So I think with with some patience and understanding that a lot of folks get through this phase, it's kind of the early like, postpartum period and find themselves in a better place after but sometimes it can take

a long time. Like, I think a lot of a lot of people will tell me like a year, you know, they're not they're not feeling themselves in their body for a year after after birth, but hopefully, you know, a strong couple can kind of work through and find other ways to continue to grow and their bond in the meantime, while while things are kind of getting back to a staple

place. Yeah, and like the article that we mentioned, said that 38% of the childbearing people reported that it took six to 12 months before they were even interested in sexual intimacy again, So, that tracks but it sounds like there are ways to get there. And there are ways to still maintain intimate bonds even while you are readying yourself mentally and physically

to be sexual again. Right. So bottom line is, think of other forms of intimacy have even higher communications that you did beforehand and do some cables do a lot of cables. Well, I think those are all the questions that we have for today, Kaley, but are there any lasting notes or words of wisdom, words of vagina wisdom, I guess, that you'd like to leave with our listeners? Oh, that's such a that's such a great. I love this topic. Thank you so much for for bringing light to it.

No, I think I really like these questions. I, especially when I'm taking care of pregnant people like these questions are the ones that like I love to answer in the office. And I think people are really nervous to ask about things like sex,

especially in pregnancy. And so you know, if you're, if you're feeling if you are a pregnant person, or planning to become pregnant, and you don't feel super comfortable with your prenatal care provider, like find someone who you do feel comfortable with, that you can really, like open up about all of these things with and I'll make a quick plug for like for family medicine and midwives. Like we take care of people in

their pregnancies too. And obviously, OB GYN if you're if you have a high risk pregnancy, but you know, there's a lot of other birth workers who can access and, yeah, I think it's just talking, talking, making sure you're communicating with your provider. And if anything is weird, if anything feels off, like painful sex, like in pregnancy can also be a sign of something going on, especially in early

stages of pregnancy. If you're having like pelvic pain, that's like definitely something that bring up I can, you know, bring to light some sort of issue or complication. So, yeah, just listen to your body. And, you know, make sure you're talking to your provider art advice, because I do think you're right, so people forget that they can actually talk to their doctor about doctors, like the one person you should really feel comfortable

talking to you about. And I guess one more point, I'll make some, since we're talking about pregnancy is actually the number one pregnancy complication is postpartum depression. And, and so I think, just really, understanding, there's a lot of stigma as well about who's Partum Depression, because everyone around you is like, so happy that you have a baby? And how are you not happy that you have this beautiful baby and one in five pregnant people, birthing people, suffers from

postpartum depression? Yeah, it was a huge, it's a huge thing. And so making sure you know, we check in on our loved ones. And, you know, I think a lot of the focus shifts to the baby, but we can't forget the person that were the person in the process. And make sure that if you're noticing someone in your life who's like, doesn't seem to be themselves and you know, really just making sure that you reach out to them or that they seek help, because it can be very

easily treatable. Yeah, thank you so much for bringing that up. Because that's really important. And I think even just some of the things we talked about in this conversation today it it checks out, right, you body went through something completely new, you are completely new, you have a new identity today than you did yesterday, when you were still pregnant, you have a child. Now, there's just so much that gets wrapped up into it, about sex, about intimacy, but also about

self. So thank you for bringing that up. And that's something that hopefully, we can decrease the stigma around too, because there's nothing wrong with going through postpartum depression. It doesn't make you a bad mom or a bad parent. It's just something that a lot of people experience, and it's just another area in which the childbearing person needs support and love. Yeah, absolutely.

So the myth today was, okay, well, it was a lot of a lot it was, it was that there is a set time to start having sex again, after pregnancy, it was that having a baby instantly reduces the quality of your sex life. It's that sex and pregnancy weirdly shouldn't be intertwined. I don't know. And actually, sexual activity during pregnancy can be really, really good for the childbearing person. So thankfully, with the help of Dr. InDeck, we've helped put a lot

of these myths to bed. And the research shows that what does it show? It shows that sexual activity is good during pregnancy, it's good for the childbearing person. And it's also good to keep intimacy in the relationship. Yay. Yay. And as Sonia, right, a sexual counselor and life coach said and that millennial moms article that we mentioned earlier, and of course we'll share she said, a woman can be both a mother and a sexual being. Which I mean,

yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah. Just might have to make a little bit more time for it and be a little bit more intentional because new mom exhaustion happens. Yeah, that's fair, fair. But great news. You can be both. Isn't that wonderful? Yes. It's fascinating. And you know what, let's recognize your body changes, but it's still your body, and you get to still have fun with it. Yeah. All right. So that is another myth or I guess set of myths many myths are put to bed. Thanks so much for

tuning in. And remember to keep listening for new episodes of sex ed debunked. And hey, give us a follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. See you around y'all thanks for tuning in for this week's episode of Sex Ed debunked. During the course of our podcast, we have limited time together, which means that unfortunately, many identities groups and movements may not be

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