How are women affected by the pressure to conceive?

No matter how excited a woman is about the prospect of being pregnant, she can experience just as many sexual roadblocks as her male partner. Sex on demand can be tricky for her -- even if she’s the one doing the demanding. For example, it’s easy for women to get in the goal-oriented, baby-making mindset, where sex is simply a means to an ends. That can mean that she may not even be in the mood when she initiates sex, but is guided instead by ovulation. Yet a lack of desire can lead to additional problems, like decreased lubrication and difficulty climaxing. It’s important to devote the same amount of attention to foreplay and arousal when trying to conceive that you normally would.

When women are experiencing the pressure to conceive, it can put chemical production in their body on overdrive, even effecting hormone output. In some women, this might interfere with the normal ovulation cycle, temporarily delaying or even inhibiting egg release – which can negatively impact their ability to conceive.

The pressure can also result in suppression of a woman’s menstrual period. There’s a good chance that their sex drive is going to be negatively affected.

Sex begins to feel like a chore.

The perceived “Infertility” after an extensive period of ongoing pressure to conceive may make them feel less womanly. The breasts and hips, sexual symbols of childbearing and child nourishment, may not seem as sexy as they once felt. A woman may not understand how her partner can find her attractive, thinking that she is "damaged" by “infertility.”