Note the statement thatclassify fullterm pregnancy as being from 37
weeks onwards!
http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/123/115026.htm?printing=true
June 2, 2006 The notion that having sex late in pregnancypregnancy will hasten labor and
deliverylabor and delivery is among
the oldest of old wives' tales. But it looks like the old wives were wrong.
Women with a low risk of complications who had sex in the final weeks of
pregnancy actually carried their babies slightly longer than those who abstained
from sex during that time, according to a new study reported in the June issue
of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
And the full-term babies born to women who had late-pregnancy sex were just
as healthy as those born to women who did not.
"This study should reassure low-risk women that there is probably no harm in
engaging in intercourse late in pregnancy," says obstetrician Jonathan Schaffir,
MD, of the Ohio State University Medical Center. "But it showed no particular
benefit, either, in terms of inducing labor."
Sex Wasn't a Factor
There is actually sound medical reasoning for the idea that sex might bring
on labor. Male semen contains hormone-like chemicals known as prostaglandins.
Prostaglandins can be used for cervical ripening, in which the cervix physically
changes in preparation for labor. Also, female orgasm can bring on uterine
contractions.
But there is little clinical evidence that intercourse influences the outcome
of normal pregnancies. The study cites one analysis of 59 studies that found no
association between sex and preterm birth, premature amniotic sac rupture, or
low birth weight in low-risk pregnancies.
Schaffir's study included 93 low-risk pregnant women past the 37th week of
their pregnancy. (At 37 weeks a pregnancy is considered full term.) The women
were asked during weekly doctor's office visits about their sexual activity.
Half the women reported having sex involving penetration after that time.
Cervical examinations were performed at each weekly visit to determine if
sexual activity affected cervical ripening. No correlation was seen between the
frequency of sexual intercourse and cervical change.
And the sexually active women in the study actually carried their babies an
average of four days longer than women who abstained from sex -- 39.9 weeks
compared with 39.3 weeks. Schaffir says this small difference could be because
women closer to labor simply felt less comfortable and were, therefore, less
likely to engage in sex.
The lack of a difference in cervical changes, combined with the absence of a
meaningful difference in delivery dates among women who had sex, suggests sexual
intercourse had no effect on inducing labor, the researchers concluded.
High-Risk Women Should Abstain
The findings do not suggest all women can safely engage in sex late in pregnancypregnancy. Women with risk factors for preterm
delivery should probably avoid sex and should definitely discuss the issue with
their health care provider. Risk factors for preterm delivery include having had
a previous preterm birth, having uterine bleeding during pregnancy, contracting
certain vaginal infections, and having other pregnancy-related
complications.
For most normal pregnancies, however, if a woman feels like having sex late
in pregnancy there is probably no medical reason to keep her from doing so,
based on the study. But there is no medical benefit either.
Schaffir says doctors and other pregnancy caregivers should talk with their
patients about sex during pregnancy.
This discussion should not lead patients to believe that sexual intercourse
will initiate labor sooner, he wrote. Patients may continue to hear from
relatives and other old wives that intercourse will hasten labor, but it
should not be given credence by the medical community.
Hope Ricciotti, MD, an ob-gyn at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, says
she is surprised by the findings.
This is one that many of us believed because of the hormonal involvement,
she tells WebMD.
Other Things to Try
Another method to hasten delivery that doctors often suggest to women is
nipple stimulation, since it promotes the production of another hormone involved
in labor induction known as oxytocin.
Nipple stimulation does cause contractions while the woman is doing it,
Ricciotti says. But once the woman stops, so do the contractions. Ricciotti
knows of no case where a woman actually put herself into labor using this
method.
Other doctors perform a vigorous pelvic exam when the cervix is slightly
dilated in an effort to get things moving. While there is some evidence this is
effective, it is not conclusive, Ricciotti says.
Otherwise, you can always try food. Although there is no medical evidence to
back it up, countless women are convinced eating pizza or Chinese food put them
into labor.
The big one is Chinese food, Ricciotti says. Eggplant was in vogue for a
few years, but there was no evidence at all
