A new study claims that sex during pregnancy is usually safe, with few complications.
The risks of sex during this time include premature labour, pelvic inflammatory disease, hemorrhage in placenta previa (when the placenta covers part of the cervix) and blood clots.
"In populations at increased risk for preterm labour, there is no evidence to suggest a clear benefit from restricted sexual activity; however, this is a simple intervention that causes no harm and may be a reasonable recommendation until better evidence emerges," said Dr. Clair Jones, Department of Obstetrics, Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto.
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, and therefore these patients should be reassured," the authors write.
"In pregnancies complicated by placenta previa or an increased risk of preterm labour, the evidence to support abstinence is lacking, but it is a reasonable benign recommendation given the theoretical catastrophic consequences."
They concluded that there is no conclusive evidence that sex during pregnancy can induce labour but that there are no known negative outcomes for women with low-risk pregnancies.
The study appears in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
ANI