Pregnant women may still listen to the "old wive's tale" that engaging in sexual intercourse on the final weeks of pregnancy can hasten labor and delivery; but they will not hear it from the medical community.

Study conducted at Ohio State University Medical Center headed by Dr. Jonathan Schaffir (obstetrician at OSU Medical Center and author of the study) will debunk this old belief.

Schaffir found no correlation between the frequency of sexual intercourse and the score assigned to measure the cervix. That lack of change in the cervix among sexually active women, combined with the lack of difference in delivery dates among the two groups, suggests that sexual intercourse has no effect on inducing labor, Schaffir said.

He acknowledged that women who are more comfortable late in pregnancy may be more likely to engage in sexual activity, and that women who experience abdominal discomfort or pelvic pressure - possible signs of earlier delivery - won't be inclined to want to have sex.

This study is published in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Source: Science Daily