Sex in pregnancy, reports a new Canadian Medical Association Journal primer for physicians to counsel patients. on current evidence there are few complications.
Potential Risks?
Uncommon potential risks from sex in pregnancy include
- premature labour,
- pelvic inflammatory disease,
- hemorrhage in placenta previa (when the placenta covers part of the cervix)
- and blood clots.
Restricting intercourse is recommended for women at risk of premature labour, but the evidence is contradictory and limited.
In low-risk women, frequent intercourse was associated with an increased risk of premature labour only in women with lower genital tract infections. In higher risk women – carrying more than one baby, with cervical incompetence or a history of early labour – there is limited evidence to guide recommendations.
“In populations at increased risk for preterm labour, there is no evidence to suggest a clear benefit from restricted sexual activity”writes Dr. Clair Jones, Department of Obstetrics, Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto.
However, this is a simple intervention that causes no harm and may be a reasonable recommendation until better evidence emerges.”
In rare cases, some types of sexual activity that push air into the vagina may result in a uterine blood clot that is usually fatal.
“Sex in pregnancy is normal. There are very few proven contraindications and risks to intercourse in low-risk pregnancies” write the authors, who recommend these patients should be reassured.
While evidence to support abstinence is lacking in pregnancies complicated by placenta previa or an increased risk of preterm labour, they consider abstiemce a “reasonable benign recommendation given the theoretical catastrophic consequences.”
There is no evidence that sex at term can induce labour but no known negative outcomes exist for women with low-risk pregnancies.
Women should be guided by their comfort level and sexual readiness during pregnancy and postpartum period.
