“The tissue surrounding the vagina gets looser and softer, resulting in the vagina getting a little longer," says Priya Rajan, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
The feeling of vaginal fullness and pressure during pregnancy can make a woman feel as if her vagina is tighter than normal.
Sometimes, you can also see that the large side lip may recede slightly, which can make the inner lip appear larger or exposed. Also, labia and vaginal stretch during pregnancy can stimulate libido. At the same time, because the tissues in the vaginal wall are stretched, your partner will also feel more stimulation.
After having a baby, it's normal for your pelvic floor muscles to relax and lose a little tone. That can make the vagina feel looser, especially in the first year after delivery. "They may also feel like it's airier down there as they walk around," said Dr. Dweck.
Your Body Becomes Wider
After pregnancy, however, your ribs and hips may not shift back to where they used to be. "Some women report that even after getting back to pre-baby weight, the shape of their body has changed," Dr. Ghodsi said.
When Can You Have Sex After Birth? According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), most doctors advise not to put anything in the vagina—including toys, fingers, and penises—for six weeks. Waiting this long allows for healing and reduces the risk of complications.
Couvade syndrome or sympathetic pregnancy happens when a pregnant woman's partner has symptoms that uncannily mimic pregnancy. Actually, it's not uncommon for men to have symptoms like constipation, gas, bloating, irritability, weight gain, and nausea while their partner is expecting.
On the other hand, a fat belly is softer and you'll also tend to see fat layers on the stomach rather than a protruding belly with a smooth dome as you would with a pregnant belly [1].
At-home pregnancy tests
The first (and easiest) way to determine if you're pregnant is to take an at-home pregnancy test. These over-the-counter products are quick, accurate, and readily accessible.
Add sugar to the bowl and pour the urine sample over it. hCG present in the urine does not dissolve the sugar easily. If you see sugar forming lumps in urine, you are pregnant. In case the sugar readily dissolves in urine, it indicates that you are not pregnant.
Also, following delivery, your cervix takes some time to return to its pre-pregnancy state. Infection can make its way in more easily during this time, too. “It's best to keep things out of the vagina for a few weeks. That includes tampons, saliva, penises, fingers and toys,” Dr.
Some studies suggest that moderate ejaculation (2–4 times per week) is associated with a lower prostate cancer risk. However, ejaculating more often doesn't mean your cancer risk drops even more.
It takes just one sperm to fertilize a woman's egg. Keep in mind, though, for each sperm that reaches the egg, there are millions that don't. On average, each time men ejaculate they release nearly 100 million sperm.
However, there is no medical research suggesting that salt-based home pregnancy tests work. People may be interested in trying a homemade pregnancy test with salt because they do not wish to pay for or use a traditional pregnancy test. However, using salt to test for pregnancy is not a reliable option.
White vinegar is made from a combination of acetic acid and water, and it's rumored to work as a pregnancy test. Combine early morning urine with white vinegar. A reaction of bubbles and a change of color “confirms” a pregnancy.
Unfortunately, no matter how much we feel that we may know our bodies, pregnancy cannot be self-diagnosed. The only way to know whether or not you're pregnant is through a pregnancy test.
For some, the first trimester bloat can be mistaken for a pregnancy bump. But you're unlikely to see a bump that early on. "For the most part, prior to 12 weeks of pregnancy, the uterus remains in the pelvis, under or below the pubic bone. By 20 weeks, it is at the level of the belly button," explains Dr.
For some women, their belly doesn't change much during the first trimester. Your belly may look a little rounder, but that's most likely due to bloating more than it is a growing baby. However, by the end of the first trimester, you and your significant other may be the first ones to notice a little bump!