One of the most common worries for a newly pregnant woman is whether it's O.K. to keep doing what got her pregnant in the first place. For low-risk pregnancies, the verdict is in: Sex is a go.
In a review of previous studies, published in February in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers concluded that there's absolutely nothing wrong with having intercourse, provided a pregnancy is progressing without complications. "Sex in pregnancy is normal," wrote the authors. "There are very few proven contraindications and risks to intercourse in low-risk pregnancies, and therefore these patients should be reassured."
Abstinence may be advised in situations of placenta previa, in which the placenta covers the cervix, or when there's a risk of preterm labor. But even previous preterm births don't necessarily mean a woman should swear off sex.
The fear that orgasm triggers uterine contractions that can lead to labor is unfounded; while orgasm does stimulate the uterus, contractions are thought to ease once the orgasm winds down.
The research is intended as a guide for doctors, some of whom — like one Italian physician who tells his patients to avoid orgasm — aren't offering evidence-based advice, according to Dan Farine, the head of the maternal-fetal-medicine department at the University of Toronto. Farine says the Italian doctor would tell his patients to have as much sex as they want "as long as they don't enjoy it."
Having sex near your due date — an oft-shared tip for bringing baby out — doesn't catapult you into labor, says lead author Claire Jones. Some studies have shown an association; others haven't. That said, notes Jones, "if you're feeling comfortable and you want to try, why not?"