Effect of Vaginal Intercourse on Spontaneous Labour at Term

Hospital de Santa Maria, Portugal

Status: Completed

Conditions: Vaginal Intercourse at Term; Spontaneous Labour Onset

Treatments: Behavioral: Vaginal intercourse

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01907698

Catarina Castro

Details and patient eligibility

About

Vaginal intercourse to promote labour onset is biologically plausible. Oxytocin release during female orgasm, cervix mechanical stimulation and the effect of semen's prostaglandins are possible involved mechanisms. The investigators propose to evaluate the effect of vaginal intercourse on spontaneous labour at term.

Enrollment: 123 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Term pregnancy
• Singleton pregnancy
• Cephalic presentation
• No previous cesarean section
• Irrelevant obstetric history
• Surveiled pregnancy without complications

Trial design

123 participants in 2 patient groups

Vaginal coitus group

Description:

Pregnant women assigned to have vaginal coitus at least twice a week

Treatment:

Behavioral: Vaginal intercourse

Control group

Description:

Pregnant women assigned to have no vaginal intercourse