Posted by: acupressurelabor on: 02/21/2009
For years we have heard that it is good to have sex to induce labor. It is said that if the due date of your delivery is over and still your baby is not coming down then you can try sex to induce labor. You can have sex at the end of your pregnancy period to start your labor yourself.
There are different opinions about whether sex helps to induce labor or not. Many doctors face this question from their patients that whether sex to induce labor works or not. The answer cannot be given straight away. It might be or it might not be.
Actually it varies from person to person. There is not data available about this subject and hence much cannot be said in favor of it. Sex helps the cervix to ripen. There is a hormone called Prostaglandins, this hormone helps the cervix to ripen as well as become softer. It also prepares the cervix to open naturally which helps in child birth. This hormone is found in the semen of the men. Sex helps to dilute the cervix.
You need to deposit the Prostaglandins on the cervix to make it smooth and easy. If the mother has some complications and cannot sex at that point of time then the mother can collect some semen and hold the thing against the cervix of the woman.
For women who have complications regarding child birth, sex to induce labor can be painful and they might not be able to tolerate the pain during sex. It is better not to have sex to induce labor for those women. Another great method of inducing labor is by nipple stimulation. Nipple stimulation helps in the release of a hormone called oxytocin; this hormone is responsible for having contractions at that time.
The other thing is that, the orgasms too produce the same hormone and hence the orgasms can also help in having contractions and hence inducing labor. Therefore sex to induce labor is better for those who can take it at that point of time.
Consult your doctor or midwife to be sure you can use these tips safely.