Pregnancy Week 15: Increased Sex Drive, Bleeding Gums, and Baby Practices Breathing

Many pregnant women notice an increase in their sex drive around the fifteenth week of pregnancy. There are several factors that may be attributed to this desire to be intimate. Also during week fifteen, mom may notice her gums bleeding and your baby starts to practice breathing.

Pregnancy Week 15: Baby's Development

Your baby is now between 4-4 ½ inches long and weighs close to 2 ounces. Finer motor skills and muscle movements are developing in your tiny baby. He has found his fingers and toes and he can now wiggle both. Your baby's facial muscles are developing and he can make facial expressions.

Your baby is also practicing breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. Luckily, all of your baby's oxygen is being supplied by you.

Pregnancy Week 15: Increased Sex Drive

This is the time during pregnancy when many women report having a substantial increase in sexual desire. The fact that your sex drive may have diminished over the previous few months, especially if you had nausea and vomiting, may account for this sudden desire.

Another possible reason for an increased sex drive could be because you are just feeling better with more energy and have more confidence in your changing body. Lastly, hormones may play a part in your increased sexual desire.

The second trimester is a great time for sex because your belly is not in the way yet. Whatever the reason, enjoy this time of spontaneity and pleasure. Your partner will enjoy it too.

Pregnancy Week 15: Bleeding Gums and Stuffy Nose

Your progesterone levels are increasing which can cause your gums to become inflamed and bleed. The good news is that this will pass as your progesterone levels out.

To treat bleeding gums, brush your teeth with a soft toothbrush and be very careful when flossing so you don't cut your gums and cause more bleeding. Your mouth is a breeding area for bacteria and you don't want to give those germs a way into your body.

Keep your regular dental appointments while you are pregnant. If you notice and increased amount of bleeding you can call your dentist and ask if there is anything else you can do to help with your inflamed gums.

Progesterone may also cause a chronic stuffy nose. It will seem like you have a perpetual cold or allergies. This too will pass as your progesterone levels out.

A saline nasal spray may help to clear your nasal passages. There are some over-the-counter cold remedies that are approved for pregnant women, but check with your doctor before taking anything.

For more pregnancy weeks and fetal development you can read:

Pregnancy Week 11

Pregnancy Week 12

Pregnancy Week 13

Pregnancy Week 14

Click here to find more information on your pregnancy and baby's development.

Sources:

Personal Experience

Fit Pregnancy (2009). Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved: April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: fitpregnancy.com/calendar/40251887.html

Myers-Gorrie, Trula, Slone-McKinney, Emily, & Smith-Murray, Sharon (1998). Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (2^nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company.

What to Expect (2009). Weekly Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved:April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/landing.aspx