When a man initially hears that his wife is pregnant, the first question out of the block is generally, "Is everything OK?" Running a close second, however, is, "What about sex?"

Sex can be a touchy subject during pregnancy. A woman's hormones fluctuate wildly and she can either be almost aggressive in her need for sex or completely resistant to the idea. Your mission during your wife's pregnancy is to pretty much go with the flow and remain sensitive to her needs.

Rhea Palmer's husband fulfilled his mission admirably. "He was never a whiner when it came to wanting intimacy, but I didn't turn down sex during pregnancy, either, until I had to," says Palmer, mother of one from Oakland, Tenn. "We enjoyed it up until the point where it became uncomfortable and after that he had absolutely no problem abstaining until we were able to pick it up again after our son was born. He didn't want to risk any problems."

According to Dr. Jacques Moritz, the director of gynecology at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan, couples are often concerned about having sex in the first trimester. "Consciously or unconsciously, men are often worried about miscarriage during the first trimester," Dr. Moritz says. "They may pull away from their wives during this time. They are often fearful that their penis will somehow hurt the baby. I tell my patients concerned with this that their penis isn't as big as they think it is!"

Also during the first trimester, their wives may be suffering from morning sickness and may not feel very sexual, anyway. Dr. Moritz says it is important to be particularly sensitive to their wives during this time. "It is your job to make them feel desirable even when they feel horrible," he says. "But don't push the sex issue. They don't need any extra pressure on them during a time when their bodies are going through so many changes."

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