Womens Health/pregnancy

I actually miss having less realism and more whimsy in game. To each their own. 

And that’s the thing, to each their own. But you have a ton of options for a whimsy game. I don’t have much options for a more realistic game. 

As a very long term player I don't see EA putting half of what you are requesting in the game, at best it would raise the game rating and at worst make the game unsuitable for many, including children who play and potentially trigger (and alienate) those who've sadly had losses or struggling to get pregnant in the first place. It's quite a grim topic and might be too much "realism" for them.   As I said before to each their own, some people's pain are other's pleasure. Chances are though it would probably get the Parents groups up in arms, calling for boycotts, sigh…again.

Food cravings might be a more... shall we say realistic and non-controversial request to consider asking EA for. It has a humorous side which they can draw from. Hey you never know, we could get Cucumbers, Dill and Pickling added to the game which seems like a win-win as Pickles  are a common craving during pregnancy.  

As a suggestion there is a Pregnant Mother Simulator game that puts you through all that gross stuff. If you're interested all you need is to put in those key words. It's still a little cutesy though graphics-wise. I've never played the game so I don't know how interesting it might be so this isn't an endorsement for the game, to be transparent.  I've already done all that personally and it was the worst time of my life so it holds no interest for me as a form of entertainment, hence my lack of knowledge about the game.  I hope that helps. 

I can see how some of that could be an issue so some people. I’m not wanting  it to be super graphic or anything. That’s not what I’m asking for. And I definitely don’t want to trigger anyone. Even if we get rid of the “pregnancy issues” altogether, that’s fine. I can live without that. I just think if we had periods with period symptoms like cramping, dizziness, headaches or lightheadedness. Random little symptoms that you get during a period could be easily put into the game. Changing how the sims get pregnant by making it more realistic could be easily put into the game. Increasing and decreasing the chances of getting pregnant based off the woman’s cycle. Adding the options for birth control. I think that would be a huge improvement. Having Sims “try for baby” and immediately getting pregnant is just so predictable and boring. We can keep pregnancy light and fun like you said. Adding some mood swings and fun food cravings would be a fun way to make the game more interesting. Again right now it’s just so boring. They get pregnant, three days later they have a baby. Nothing happens.  But again, this is just my opinion. I would love to get something like this without having to rely on Mods. But I understand if it’s too much for some. 

I do not play with the other lifestates besides regular sims. I don't need so much realistic gameplay in the game. There are mods to get the type gameplay you are looking to do, which isn't something you may have wanted to hear. What you are asking for would give the game a mature rating, which is not something EA is willing to do. Btw, I am nearing my 50's and don't even relate to that gameplay. I play video games to relax from real life. As a woman who irl has very negative symptoms with my own cycles, I see no need for any of that to be mimicked in-game.

If you played sims long enough then you know that sims can get dizzy or sick or feel unwell on occasion. You get them to drink some medicine, or orange juice, or healthy tea and what not. Would I want that to happen more often and particularly for female sims? Not particularly, especially as not all females experience the same period symptoms. As someone who has had period issues since my early twenties due to a bad thyroid, I have no interest in managing my Sims' periods or period issues. Tired of managing my own, thank you very much. Might be interested in weird pregnancy cravings as they can add a bit of challenge if you wish to fulfill.  But in all seriousness, pregnancy in sims is just three days, not sure it really needs to be more interesting as you barely have time to be bored of it. Maybe if they extended it to three seasons then I could see the point of making it more eventful. Even so you could still arrange for some pregnancy photo shoot, baby room decoration, baby shower, etc. It's  possible to make those three days interesting with current gameplay options. Woohoo is the birth control option, if you don't want a baby right away you can use that option.  With the try for baby, I don't think they always get pregnant on first try, but I'm not sure why you'd want to add that kind of disappointment into the game where you try for baby and it doesn't happen. 

Well I guess I have an unpopular opinion. I didn’t think what I was wanting was that big of a deal. But oh well. I guess I will just have to keep relying on Mods. I just hate having to maintenance them so much, they always break when there’s an update. But that’s fine. Thanks for the insight everyone. 

Please don't make the egregious mistake of feeling put upon  simply because others disagree and contradict you.  I have had many forum posts for ideas that some folks didn't agree with, in this instance and for this topic you really can't take it personally. Take this as a teachable moment from very long term players (I've played since Sims 1). Most of us are older than you.  We know from experience that there are limits upon what can be realistically requested and for what reasons those requests will be denied and ignored. It's one thing to ask for an Apple Bobbing Tub and Spiral Stairs but it's quite another to ask for a working Pillory.  Or requesting Casinos & Casino Gaming than asking for Male Chickens fighting for wagers. 

The Sims from its inception has been a light hearted life simulation with  gameplay that has to be palatable for a wide range of players. It's designed to be escapist because at the end of the day this what people do to get away from real life.  It has to be light hearted otherwise EA risks alienating a huge swath of different demographics which affects their bottom line.  Topics such as gender, sexuality, bodily functions, physical disability, mental health, death, and pregnancy all have to be handled with a very light touch or not at all.  

There are certain topics that EA either avoids or softens to reduce the risk of offending different religious groups and cultures whose views on the aforementioned topics can vary from moderately conservative tsk-tsk comments to banning games from being sold to different markets or at the extreme making unpleasant calls to action against EA and their employees. All of this in addition to what has been previously stated about the effects some topics have on individuals. 

EA understands all of this and this is why Mods and Modders exist.  To fix game issues and fill in the gaps that EA for various reasons either cannot or will not do. Be glad that there is a Modder that created the game play that you are looking for. 

I know given your designation that you are a Newcomer to our little forum. I encourage you to keep participating and suggest new ideas. This game is at its best when its players are creative and vocal. Happy Simming. 

Tammster01, it is not that your idea/suggestion is bad. It is just many of us informing  and knowing the limitations of the game based on the T for teen rating. I have been playing since the first iteration of the franchise in the 2000's, so I knew the game isn't marketed to be hyper realistic. There are some topics that need the silly or unrealistic tone so it can be included, such as saying nectar instead of alcohol or Woohoo instead of the more graphic counterpart terms. 

While keeping mods updated is a challenge, that is the option for the type of gameplay you desire. There are things I prefer in-game that I know require mods. Those are things that I know can not be implemented because of the rating limitations for Sims 4. 

Certain topics, while important for your own gameplay would require the game rating to change to mature audiences only. The teen rating allows suggestions of topics without it being graphic. While you may not believe your suggestions were graphic, think of it from the point of view of an innocent 8 to 12 year old person. 

What a wonderfully concise and thoughtful explanation of why some ideas don't make it into the game. I do hope Tammster01 continues to share their ideas.