First Time Mothers More Likely To Hasten Labor With Food And Sex

Women approaching the end of pregnancy will do just about anything to kick-start labor, and now there are some statistics to prove it. Livescience reports that nearly half of women studied in a Midwestern survey had tried inducing labor with sex and almost a quarter said that they attempt to do the same by ingesting spicy food.

First time mommies were more likely consider such methods than mothers with one or two pregnancies under their belts. The study was performed at only one hospital, so it’s unknown yet whether these results can applied to the general population.

Doctors have yet to determine what exact triggers labor hormones; they suspect it comes from hormones within the fetus. That being said, sex and spicy food are considered innocuous (for both baby and mommy) as well as ineffective. Considering though that nearly half of participants had hoped to induce labor, study researcher Jonathan Schaffir, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State University, says that doctors should acknowledge the discomfort of women:

”Obstetricians and midwives may want to offer some additional reassurance to make patients feel like they don’t need to pursue these other techniques,” he said.

No shame in telling your midwife that you’ve upped your pepper intake or sexy time habits in the hopes of hurrying labor along. They might be able to prescribe something that actually works.