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It has long been rumored that engaging in sexual intercourse at term accelerates cervical ripening and the onset of labor, purportedly spurred by the prostaglandin content of semen. To test this belief, 95 consenting patients who had completed 37 weeks of gestation were asked whether they had had intercourse during the preceding week. This question was asked at each subsequent weekly office visit, and a Bishop score was also assigned to assess cervical ripening. The sexually active and inactive groups were compared in terms of cervical status and delivery outcome.
Approximately half of the women engaged in intercourse during the final weeks of pregnancy, with a mean frequency of 1.8 occurrences per week. There was no difference between the s…