It probably didn’t come as a shock to anyone to learn that Angelina Jolie found her pregnancy body attractively “round and full”—and that she was, therefore, having great sex just a month before she gave birth to her twins.

But not all pregnant women are lucky enough to see their swollen feet, back pain, and huge bellies in the same light as Angelina. Many couples, particularly those who underwent fertility treatments, are apprehensive about having sex during those pre-baby nine months.

In a recent installment of MSNBC's Sexploration column, Brian Alexander addresses this pregnancy sex apprehension, and argues that one need not be Angelina Jolie to enjoy sex during pregnancy. A Polish study has found that “experiencing sexual satisfaction by pregnant women improves their self-esteem, facilitates [the] mutual relationship between partners and tightens the marital bond.” And a UCLA researcher found that women’s sexual enjoyment stays about the same during pregnancy. This average level of sexual enjoyment is, to my mind, depressingly low (18.9 on a scale of 2 to 36), but that’s a different issue.

As for fears of hitting the baby on the head, sorry to break it to you, gentlemen, but you’re just not large enough to do any damage.

If you find yourself putting off sex until after the pregnancy is over, you might want to consider this: if you think having sex with the baby inside the womb is difficult, just wait till Junior is spitting up on your shoulder.

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