Update: As pressure mounted on Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign after sending a lewd photo to a woman via Twitter, two wrinkles on Wednesday complicated the story of his online sexual relationships with a series of women:

* Weiner's wife is pregnant.
* An explicit photo of Weiner's genitals emerged.

Weiner's office issued a statement Wednesday that said he sent explicit photos of himself. The statement was issued after an X-rated photo turned up on the Internet.

The photo, which shows a man's genitals, was published by a website after conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart showed it to the hosts of Sirius XM radio's Opie & Anthony Show.

"As Representative Weiner said on Monday when he took responsibility for his actions, he has sent explicit photos," his office said in a statement obtained by NBC News. "To reiterate, he has never met any of these women or had physical contact with them. As he said, he deeply regrets the pain he has caused. With the full support of his wife, he is working on righting these wrongs with his family and his colleagues."

Breitbart, who released the lewd photo that began the cycle of events, said, he was "horrified" that the explicit photo was leaked, NBC News reported. Breitbart said Opie and Anthony tricked him into showing them the explicit photo. Breitbart said he was specifically told "there's no camera in here" and was urged to show the photo.

"I was horrified. It's clearly a breach," Breitbart said after the explicit photo was posted, adding that he was "disappointed that these guys would do this."

Throughout the day, Democrats called on Weiner to step down for sending a lewd photo of himself to a woman via Twitter.

"Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a member of Congress. In light of Anthony Weiner’s offensive behavior online, he should resign," said Rep. Allyson Schwartz, a top official at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"His actions have disgraced the Congress," Rep. Joe Donnelly of Indiana said in a statement. "Everyone should be focused on jobs and the economy and his refusal to do the right thing is a distraction." He said he planned to give $5,000 he received from Weiner's campaign to Indiana charities.

Then came a New York Times report and confirmation by NBC News that Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, 35, is in the early stages of pregnancy. The report cited three sources with knowledge of the couple's situation.

Weiner married Abedin, a close adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, at a lavish ceremony on Long Island last summer. Former President Bill Clinton presided over the couple's wedding.

Spokepersons for both Weiner's office and Secretary Clinton offered "no comment" to NBC News late Wednesday.

Weiner said during a tearful news conference Monday that the couple would not split up as result of the scandal. "I love my wife very much, and we have no intention of splitting up over this," Weiner insisted. "I love her very much, and she loves me."

With his political career in jeopardy, Weiner has been making calls to colleagues to apologize for sending raunchy texts and photos to several women.

He also apologized to former President Bill Clinton, said a person with knowledge of the call. The person, who wasn't authorized to discuss the call publicly, spoke only on condition of anonymity.

So far, none of Weiner's House colleagues have come to his defense as pressure on him to resign has increased.

Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., told the Associated Press that "it would be appropriate" for Weiner to resign.Rep. Mike Ross, a Democrat from Arkansas, also told the AP that Weiner should step down.

Tim Kaine, the former Democratic National Committee chairman who is running for the Senate in Virginia, was one of the first prominent Democrats to criticize Weiner this week.

"Lying is unforgivable," he told WCAV-TV in Charlottesville, Va., on Tuesday. "Lying publicly about something like this is unforgivable and he should resign."

And asked by a an Arkansas radio reporter if Weiner should resign, Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., replied that "it would probably be a good thing" if the congressman stepped down.

"Ultimately that's up to him and his constituents and his family, but I think at this point it would probably be a good thing if he would go ahead and resign," Pryor said.

The party's leader in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, has called for an ethics committee investigation to see whether Weiner's actions violated any House rules. A spokesman for the party's chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, has said that she supports Pelosi's call for an ethics investigation. Neither have called for his resignation.

Weiner joined the growing list of New York politicians caught in headline-grabbing sex scandals. The disclosure by the married congressman that he sent raunchy texts and photos to several women online placed him in a rogue's gallery of Empire State elected officials better known for sexual shenanigans than legislative accomplishments.

Weiner's confession this week came just four months after an upstate New York lawmaker, Republican Rep. Chris Lee, stepped down after shirtless photos he sent to a woman he met on Craigslist were published online. A Democrat, Kathy Hochul, won a special election to replace Lee, and Democrats hailed the victory as a turning point for the party following its drubbing in the 2010 midterm elections.

But since the photo of a man's bulging underpants was sent on Weiner's Twitter account nearly two weeks ago, the "Weinergate" controversy has dominated the news and distracted attention from Democrats' efforts to slam Republicans for proposing deep cuts to Medicare. Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi formally requested an ethics probe to determine whether Weiner broke House rules, while other Democrats have stayed largely silent on his plight.

"Anthony Weiner was never known as a mature guy, and his abrasiveness has not made him any friends among his congressional colleagues," Democratic consultant George Arzt said. "I don't think he ever grew up. His behavior has always been a little out of sync from his duties."

Even if Weiner's political career does survive the controversy in the short term, his dream of running for New York mayor has likely been dashed for good. A new Marist poll showed 56 percent don't want him to be mayor, even though half don't believe he should resign his seat in Congress.

And Weiner will almost certainly be sidelined as one of the party's leading champions of liberal causes.

Scandal-weary Democrats in New York and Washington could seek other ways to marginalize Weiner, like eliminating his Brooklyn and Queens congressional district when lawmakers redraw the state's political boundaries with the results of the 2010 census. New York is to lose two seats. They could also recruit another Democrat to mount a primary challenge to Weiner if his district remains intact.

Leaders of the House Ethics Committee on Tuesday issued their first statement about Weiner but did not say an investigation was under way.

New York in recent years has emerged as something of a hub for reckless politicians who risk their power, families and reputations for sex.

Democratic Rep. Eric Massa resigned his upstate seat last year amid allegations he had sexually harassed male staffers. Massa denied the allegations but acknowledged having "tickle fights" with men in his office.

Following a drunken driving arrest in 2008, Republican Rep. Vito Fossella, a married father of three, was forced to acknowledge he had fathered a daughter with a mistress. Fossella, who represented the New York City borough of Staten Island, declined to run for re-election that year.

One of New York's most infamous political sex scandals involved former Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 after 14 months in office after being identified as "Client 9" in a prostitution bust. Before becoming governor in 2006, Spitzer, the state's former attorney general, had earned a national reputation in part for prosecuting prostitution rings.

Now a host of a political talk show on CNN, Spitzer on Monday described as "cringe-worthy" the extraordinary news conference at which Weiner acknowledged sending a photo of his barely clothed crotch to a young woman on Twitter.

"Believe me, I know. I've been there," Spitzer said, adding that the decision on whether to resign is "deeply personal."

Previous story:
New York Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner says in a statement that he sent explicit photos of himself. He made the statement Wednesday as an X-rated photo that he purportedly took of himself turned up on the Internet.

The photo, which shows a man's genitals, was published by a website after conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart showed it to the hosts of Sirius XM radio's Opie & Anthony Show.

Separately, officials say Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, is pregnant. A spokesman at the State Department, where she is a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, had no comment, but several Democrats said the couple had told their friends.

Weiner is facing calls for the first time for his resignation from Democrats, led by Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has formally requested an ethics investigation.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.