SEX during pregnancy is perfectly healthy and can benefit mother and baby, according to a midwife who has written a book about the subject.
Adelaide Aduboffour was inspired to put pen to paper by questions from expectant couples at West Middlesex Hospital, where she has worked for the last five years.
Her book, 'Sex and Romance During Pregnancy and After Birth', answers common questions many are afraid to ask - offering advice on everything from different positions to try as the bump grows to resuming sex after childbirth.
"People often find it a bit embarrassing to talk about but if it's a low-risk pregnancy there's no reason you can't have sex, and it can even prove healthy for mother and baby," says the 38-year-old mum-of-two, who lives in Ashford. Women who have sex frequently during pregnancy can reduce the risk of tears during childbirth."
The only times when it might not be advisable for expectant mothers to have sex, according to Adelaide, is if there are complications like recurrent miscarriages or placenta previa (a condition in which your placenta is too close to your cervix).
When a baby is overdue, midwives will often advise parents-to-be to have sex in a bid to induce labour, though this does not work in all cases.
However, Adelaide says couples are often shocked to hear this is safe and it is only then they reveal they have been avoiding intercourse throughout the pregnancy.
"Often the mother wants sex because of all the hormones flowing through her body, but the man's worried about hurting the baby, which can cause a lot of conflict," says Adelaide, who was born in Ghana and lived in Swaziland before coming to England.
Adelaide's book is available from www.amazon.co.uk or www.sexandromanceduringpregnancy.com , priced £12.95 including P&P in the UK.
