You’re likely very familiar with the term “intimacy,” and have probably used it in a sentence hundreds of times over the years. However, sometimes the real meaning of a word can get lost in the shuffle. Intimacy is defined as “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.” What intimacy actually looks like in everyday life can be different from person to person – some may consider it hugging, kissing, or telling someone how important they are to you. Others may view it as sex and physical touch. Whatever you define it as, know that it’s an essential part of your TTC (trying to conceive) journey and to conception.
Despite its importance, sometimes intimacy can become stressful, especially if you’re feeling frustrated or lost in your journey to become pregnant. If you’re been experiencing those feelings surrounding intimacy – try not to worry, as that is totally normal. In this blog, we’re hearing from intimacy expert Victoria Miles of Baby Farm Group, who will be sharing why it’s important to help maintain intimacy, even when things get tough.
Boost Your Happy Hormones
The more intimacy you can introduce into your relationship, the better the hormonal outcomes! Oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins are a tremendously important part of how our body behaves and how our hormones work. Whenever we are intimate, especially when we have sex and orgasm, we produce oxytocin. This hormone is linked with feeling love and emotional attachment, so it is known to help lower stress levels. In addition, oxytocin can also help sperm movement, so it’s a great benefit to TTC (trying to conceive).
It’s not uncommon to wait until you’re ovulating to get intimate, but sometimes, this leads to sex becoming routine or mundane. However, when you consider the massive benefits that intimacy brings, it’s a smart idea to increase the number of times you have sex throughout your fertile window. Not only does this increase your chances at becoming pregnant, but it also keeps those happy hormones balanced and ever-present.
Reap the Physical Benefits
The health benefits of sex don’t stop here – there are a number of physical benefits that intimacy can provide, as well. When making love, you will burn calories and potentially improve your physical health. By having sex and getting in “a workout,” you’ll likely sleep better, see a reduction in stress, and potentially improve the quality of your relationship. What’s not to like about that?
Time to Get Intimate
In my opinion, intimacy is one of the most important parts of getting pregnant. You can drink as much water as you like or follow a specific diet, for example, but without a consistent amount of intimacy, conception will undoubtedly be much harder to achieve. Sex is great all around, and you will likely see many aspects of your life improve by making it a priority.
About Victoria
Victoria Miles, a clinical therapist, founded The Baby Farm group in 2006. Her practice is designed to work with all fertility-linked illness, problems, diagnosis and unexplained infertility.
