Sexual Intercourse during Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period in Early Modern Spain

Queen Margaret of Austria (1584-1611) was married to King Felipe III for twelve years, of which she spent precisely half of the time pregnant. This case illustrates the relevance of a question which couples were repeatedly confronted with in Early Modern Spain: is lovemaking advantageous or harmful to the child's prenatal development? They might have been at a loss, given the hodgepodge of contradictory opinions from philosophical, moral, and medical authorities, in addition to common beliefs and lived experiences. The powerful Catholic Church declared sex as a marital duty, yet at the same time, she preached the virtue of chastity and that intercourse was only tolerable for social reproduction. Physicians were often indecisive, as any assessment would depend on the stage of pregnancy (not always easy to determine) and other factors. After delivery, puerperium constituted another transitory state which invited certain fears, but also a redefinition of the new mother's status and authority.