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Do It Yourself Labor Induction !
Categories: Labor and Birth
In an original study, researchers in Malaysia found that women who reported
having sexual intercourse during the last month of pregnancy were more likely
to go into labor before 41 weeks gestation and to avoid labor induction than
women who did not have intercourse.
Of
course, this finding is not surprising to midwives. Women have noticed, probably since ancient
times, that intercourse late in pregnancy causes the uterus to cramp or
contract, and that a pokey latent-phase labor can sometimes be jump-started
with sex. Sexual intercourse produces
prostaglandins from the male and releases oxytocin in the female, so in a way, sex
is a method of labor induction. It’s a lot more natural and pleasurable
though, not to mention cheaper, easier, and less risky for the mom and the
baby, than a regimen of misoprostol in the vagina followed by a synthetic
pitocin intravenous drip. Definitely
worth a try!
