It is customary to consider that sex late in pregnancy may trigger premature labor. A recent study, however, dispute this notion. In contrast, sexually active would demonstrate the normality of pregnancy and may even exert some protective action vis-à-vis prematurity. That should reassure many couples.
The female orgasm triggers the production of hormones such as oxytocin, which can cause the uterus to contract. As for the prostaglandins in semen contained, they are equipped with comparable effects. Lastly, sex can, at least in theory, promote the spread of germs inside the vagina which could then infect the fetus. These are factors that explain that sex have long been discouraged in late pregnancy.
What sexuality in pregnancy?
Doctors in North Carolina, AE Sayle et al., Wanted to know if the danger was real and tried to determine whether the sex lives of women who deliver prematurely differs from that of women with their children to term1. To this end, they interviewed for three years, 187 women who delivered before 37 weeks of pregnancy and 409 women who carried their pregnancy to term. The telephone survey, an average of 7 months pregnant, was on the number of sex, the position used for these, the presence or absence of orgasms and the quality of sexual desire. Researchers have completed the first set of information by a second questionnaire after delivery for preterm infants. The existence of risk factors for prematurity was also taken into account: miscarriages, birth of premature infants, fetal death in previous pregnancies.
Sexuality more active in women who delivered at term
Overall, the number of sex decreases progressively as the pregnancy continues, what we may perhaps regret but not surprise anybody. However, no adverse effects of sexuality vis-à-vis prematurity was detected by these American doctors. In fact, women who gave birth to their baby in due time were even more likely to have had sex in late pregnancy than those who delivered prematurely.
Therefore indicates that a sex life does not appear to disrupt normal pregnancy. The likelihood of prematurity was also lower among women living with a partner than in others.
Moreover, the occurrence of orgasm was not a contributing factor to prematurity and women who delivered normally were more likely to report being satisfied in this respect (63% against 52%).
Sexuality sometimes hampered by medical problems
Women who delivered prematurely recognized a little more often than others have experienced a decline of desire during their pregnancy (71% against 57%). It seems that in many of these mothers, but not in all, the decline of sexual activity has then been associated with the occurrence of medical problems (bed rest recommended for surgery, hospitalization ...).
Finally, the authors' conclusions were not altered when they took into consideration the presence of bacterial vaginosis, a mild infection common in women.
Equivalent results in an earlier study
These data confirm the findings of a large previous study, conducted among 13 285 pregnant women and published in 1993 by Team Read JS, et al., Who also described an inverse relationship between sexuality and prématurité2. The pursuit of sexual life during the last weeks of pregnancy seems not to be discouraged from having the majority of couples and may even, but this remains to be seen, have some preventive effect vis-à-vis prematurity.
Despite this optimistic conclusion, it seems preferable that you remain cautious if you are at high risk of prematurity. In fact, American doctors do not exclude formally that in a small number of women particularly exposed to the danger, sexual relationships can in some cases have a negative effect. But if this is not your case and whether your pregnancy is no problem, why you would deprive yourself of the pleasures of life together?