XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
 
 India
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 12:32:53 PM

Obstetrics Channel
subscribe to Obstetrics newsletter

Latest Research : Obstetrics

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Study Challenges Myth that Sex Late in Pregnancy Hastens Birth
Jun 3, 2006 - 12:57:00 AM, Reviewed by: Dr. Priya Saxena

Schaffir also said the data don�t support a recommendation to engage in sexual activity, either.

 
A new study debunks the widely held belief that engaging in sexual intercourse during the final weeks of pregnancy can hasten labor and delivery.

In fact, just the opposite was true in 93 women studied at Ohio State University Medical Center. Women who were sexually active in the final three weeks of their pregnancies carried their babies an average of 39.9 weeks, compared to average delivery at 39.3 weeks among women who abstained from sexual activity at term.

�Patients may continue to hear the �old wives� tale� that intercourse will hasten labor, but according to this data, they should not hear it from the medical community,� concludes Dr. Jonathan Schaffir, an obstetrician at OSU Medical Center and author of the study published in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Schaffir also said the data don�t support a recommendation to engage in sexual activity, either.

Of the 93 women enrolled, 47, or 50.5 percent, reported they had sex during the final weeks of their pregnancies � more than any other similar study has indicated.

The participating women were those with low-risk single pregnancies enrolled at their doctor�s office visit after the 37th week of pregnancy. At this and subsequent routine visits, patients were asked whether they had engaged in sexual intercourse during the preceding week and if so, how many times. Cervical examinations also were performed at each visit to gauge whether the sexual activity had a �ripening� effect on the cervix.

Schaffir found no correlation between the frequency of sexual intercourse and the score assigned to measure the cervix. That lack of change in the cervix among sexually active women, combined with the lack of difference in delivery dates among the two groups, suggests that sexual intercourse has no effect on inducing labor, Schaffir said.

He acknowledged that women who are more comfortable late in pregnancy may be more likely to engage in sexual activity, and that women who experience abdominal discomfort or pelvic pressure � possible signs of earlier delivery � won�t be inclined to want to have sex. Schaffir also said that because of the highly personal nature of sexual behavior, the study does not address specific components of sexual behavior that might have varying effects on the onset of labor.
 

- June issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology
 

medicalcenter.osu.edu/index.cf

 
Subscribe to Obstetrics Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The study was conducted at OSU Medical Center between July 2004 and July 2005. The two groups of women did not differ significantly in terms of age, weight and previous pregnancies.

Related Obstetrics News

Medical induction of labor increases risk of amniotic-fluid embolism
Senior obstetrician are less hasty about caesarean sections
Carbon monoxide may be beneficial in pre-eclampsia
Prenatal diagnostic tests decrease the risk of miscarriage
Miscarriage significantly associated with increasing paternal age
Clinical examination not sensitive enough to detect breech babies
Preeclampsia risk reduced by regular multivitamins near time of conception
Why Listeriosis rates are 20-fold higher during pregnancy
Why birth interventions are on the rise
Pregnancy Complications Still High For Women With Diabetes


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us