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Chapter 16 - Preterm Birth and Sex

from Section 2 - Specific Issues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2022

By
Julia Burd  and
Vincenzo Berghella
Edited by
Dan Farine  and
Pablo Tobías González
Dan Farine
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
Pablo Tobías González
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina de Parla, Madrid
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Summary

While there is a physiological basis for the concern about preterm birth with sex in pregnancy, this risk has not been demonstrated in retrospective and prospective studies. In fact, in low-risk patients, sexual activity is typically associated with a decrease in preterm birth. In patients with a history of preterm birth, there is also no evidence that sexual activity increases the risk of preterm birth. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) should be avoided in pregnancy due to the well-documented increased risk of preterm birth. Notably, sexual cohabitation for 12 months prior to conception (with maternal exposure to sperm) leads to a decrease in preeclampsia and likely to the risk of preterm birth.

Keywords

preterm birthpreterm laborpreeclampsiasexual intercoursecerclage
Type
Chapter
Information
Sex and Pregnancy
From Evidence-Based Medicine to Dr Google
 , pp. 112 - 119
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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