A new study from Ohio State University has debunked the common belief that engaging in sexual intercourse during the final weeks of pregnancy can hasten labor. In fact, say the researchers, just the opposite was true in the women they studied. It seems that 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 in the final weeks of their pregnancy. "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," said Ohio's Dr. Jonathan Schaffir, author of the study that was just published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The study involved cervical examinations that were performed to gauge whether 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 added 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.
Source: Ohio State University
