Best Sex Position to Induce Labor?

Let’s talk about sex to induce labor — and then go a bit deeper {see what I did there} to ask if a certain position can be better than another. If you’re tired of being pregnant, this may be one of those things that finally gets that baby out — but what do the studies show?

Before we get started, if you’re thinking about this — you’re probably later in your pregnancy. Grab my third trimester checklist with a TON of great info for those last few weeks:

I should say that if your water is broken, or you think it might be — sex isn’t a great idea. That protective barrier around the baby and your open uterus is gone. While the vagina isn’t sterile adding new bacteria to the area just doesn’t seem smart. You should definitely be talking with your doctor if sex is safe for you at this point. This is just some information on what the studies show.

Sex To Induce Labor

Will sex induce labor?

If you talk to people who work in birth (doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas) you’ll often hear that “what got you pregnant may get that little one out too”

But why? Let’s probe a bit deeper (I seriously can’t use that phrase in this article without giggling 😅)….

Ideas Behind this Theory

The idea is that sex will help involves a couple of things:

Pleasure — the happier you are the more likely oxytocin is to flow in your system (which is why I always say that if you’re absolutely HATING a way you’re trying to get induced just stop — it’s likely not going to go anywhere). I have also heard if a woman has an orgasm that can help things move along (I’ve found some studies on it too, so keep reading).

Semen — if you have vaginal sex and a man deposits sperm at the posterior vaginal fornix (near the cervix) that has some prostaglandins in it. That is similar to how we induce you using Misoprostol — so perhaps it works as well? This is sort of similar to the theory in my primrose oil article.

Depending on your plans it may also involve nipple stimulation << I cover more of that in that article.

I mean, honestly all of that makes sense on a strictly biological level — but does it actually work

Want to know more about things people think puts you into labor — check out these posts:

• 3 Things to Know About Perineal Massage
• When Should I Start Drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea?
• Can Curb Walking Induce Labor?
• When to start Eating Dates During Pregnancy?
• What is Stripping Membranes? (Membrane Sweep)

What do the studies show?

People always say there aren’t studies on things like this because “big pharma” rules the world — but you’re wrong. There ARE studies on it. I have a few of them.

The grand-daddy of all studies is a Cochrane analysis — where they take several studies and see if they can pull out a common theme that the research shows.

Ultimately, they showed that it didn’t really induce labor, but it might. We have to remember that things like this are much more important in countries where healthcare isn’t available. They can NOT walk into a local hospital and be induced even if they’re 42 weeks — so they have to try things that might work but have been shown to also be safe. Sex is safe for most people at this point in their pregnancy who are hoping for a vaginal delivery, so while the research showed it didn’t really help, it would be safe to try. That’s their ultimate conclusion. 👎

Quick Note: Reading studies (or getting the info from a trusted provider) and then applying them to your current circumstances is one of the best skills you can have. I’m so glad you’re here and learning to do that!

Let’s look at some singular studies:

This one showed that it does not significantly increase the chance of spontaneous labor. 👎

This one showed that it might be associated with onset of labor. It did show that those who had semen deposited did have a lower gestational age than those who did not (keeping in mind if you have sex with a condom that deposit would not be made). Ultimately they did recommend it in a post-term pregnancy to try to induce labor. 👍

In the discussion area of that article it linked to a of other interesting studies:

• This one showed a decrease in cesarean sections from those who had sex. 👍
• This one compared women who had had sex vs those who did not and did not find a chance in their cervical readiness for labor (as reported by the bishops score). 👎 Learn more about what that means in my article on cervical ripening.
• This one showed that it did not speed-up delivery. 👎

A note from Hilary: The main thing I’m often looking for in these studies is to compare those who did the treatment vs those who did not and if they were pregnant longer or shorter than the control group. Most of these tend to not look at that, but I think that’s the ultimate goal people are hoping for. Keep that in mind as we look at them.

This study actually showed those who had sex were less likely to go into labor before their scheduled induction vs those who did not. 👎👎👎

Main Sources:

• Kavanagh J, Kelly AJ, Thomas J. Sexual intercourse for cervical ripening and induction of labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;2001(2):CD003093. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003093. PMID: 11406072; PMCID: PMC7017007.
• Luigi Carbone, Valentino De Vivo, Gabriele Saccone, Francesco D’Antonio, Antonio Mercorio, Antonio Raffone, Bruno Arduino, Pietro D’Alessandro, Laura Sarno, Alessandro Conforti, Giuseppe Maria Maruotti, Carlo Alviggi, Fulvio Zullo, Sexual Intercourse for Induction of Spontaneous Onset of Labor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 16, Issue 11, 2019,
• Kafaei Atrian M, Sadat Z, Rasolzadeh Bidgoly M, Abbaszadeh F, Asghari Jafarabadi M. The association of sexual intercourse during pregnancy with labor onset. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2014 Dec 26;17(1):e16465. doi: 10.5812/ircmj.16465. PMID: 25763253; PMCID: PMC4341500.
• Intercourse doesn’t hasten onset of labor. J Fam Pract. 2006 Sep;55(9):757. PMID: 17009436.
• Tan PC, Yow CM, Omar SZ. Coitus and orgasm at term: effect on spontaneous labour and pregnancy outcome. Singapore Med J. 2009 Nov;50(11):1062-7. PMID: 19960160.

Since I just overwhelmed you with studies, maybe a good time to pack that hospital bag? I will save you from over-packing with my list:

Conclusion

The main thing I thought of during this is that people self-selected into each of these groups. They were all based on patient’s desires vs actually being “placed” into a group where one has sex and one does not.

Meaning, some of those people felt like having sex, and some did not. That biases the studies, but as you can imagine you can’t really tell someone to go have sex in a study — so it is what it is.

This means, that those who were willing to have sex likely did other things — maybe prenatal yoga, moving more, maybe they had less responsibilities at work, etc. Your desire for sex may mean things about your health & other life stressors as well.

So, ultimately, it might work or it might not. There are not clear themes between the studies, and the Cochrane meta analysis showed that it ultimately didn’t work. 👎

Could it work for YOU?

Great question — honestly, in the studies it sort of veered towards maybe it would work — but a study is interpreting the data to the community as a whole.

That’s how data works — can we apply it to a group of people overall?

Learning to take the data and the experience from providers and then apply it to YOURSELF is one of the best things you can do.

Far too many people either just ignore everything providers tell them (not smart), or just go along with what the provider recommends without really asking questions and asking them to frame them off your own needs or priorities.

SO many people are caught off-guard by how miserable at the end of pregnancy and how they desperately want that baby out to feel more comfortable.

Then, people are caught off-guard by things in the hospital and suddenly they just feel really out of control, and no one likes that feeling.

The main thing you can do is to get prepared. I recommend a high quality birth class so you’re much more prepared for your upcoming birth. I recommend this one. We’ll talk more about why in a minute, but it’s a good one and couples love it (and how convenient it is).

Why do so many people say this then?

Because they haven’t looked at the studies.

Honestly, we know how miserable you are. We know that you don’t want to be induced but you do want to get that baby out — so we give you some options. In essence, we’re giving you hope that you have some control over this scenario, even if the data really shows that maybe you don’t.

Sex has proven to be safe in low-risk individuals and it may work as per one of those studies. So, give it a shot if you want.

Sex During Labor

Some people have asked if having sex during labor will speed things along.

I don’t see any studies on that.

I just think that when you’re in actual labor, you’re less-likely to want to do it….

And frankly, the idea of it with a study probably isn’t appealing to a lot of people.

However, pumping may help… Or nipple stimulation. Or just cuddling with your partner so you feel safe.

Again, things that feel good and make you happy may help the oxytocin flow (or at the very least, you’re not blocking it).

Another reminder that if you think your water is broken sex isn’t a good idea. Please contact your provider for more info.

Can Sex Break Your Water?

This study I previously talked about didn’t show that anyone had rupture of membranes after sex.

It also showed no correlation between why people were admitted to labor and delivery and having sex.

I will say that I have a few friends mentioned this happened to them, but it doesn’t seem to be anything other than anecdotal.

Want to know more about water breaking? — check out these posts:

• What Does Water Breaking Look Like?
• What Does It Feel Like When Your Water Breaks?
• Can Your Water Break While You’re Peeing?
• What Makes your Water Break During Pregnancy?
• Signs Your Water Is Going To Break

Best Sex Positions to Induce Labor?

Again, no studies on this. In fact, a few of the studies say how difficult it was to really get information from patients about sex, due to how private in nature it is.

But a few thoughts:

You’re looking to deposit the semen near the cervix — so, you want something that allows penetrative sex as deep as possible

Nipple stimulation can possibly help — so that’s something to keep in mind.

Some of the studies showed that an orgasm might help to initiate the lower uterine segment — so, if you can get the big O, might be worth a try. Keeping in mind penetrative sex sometimes isn’t the best way to achieve this. 😜

But again — if it’s just miserable you may be blocking that flow of oxytocin, so you need a position that is comfortable for both partners. That can be tricky with a giant baby in the way, and sometimes all 4’s is difficult for pregnant woman to maintain for long as their hips hurt.

Keep those in mind as you figure out a position that works for you, if this is your plan.

What should you do?

A few conclusions as I read all of this (and have had three of my own):

1. All of these studies were on patients who were term (or even closer to their due date). If you’re thinking you’re 37 weeks going to use this to induce labor, I think you’re unlikely to find a lot of luck.
2. Check with your provider to see what they think. Sex isn’t safe for all pregnant patients, so it’s worth talking to them about (and no, this isn’t weird for them at all)
3. If it’s safe, and you want to — might as well try it! It might work.
4. It may need to be repeated. In the studies they did seem to show people needed to do it multiple times, it’s not a one-and-done
5. Might be good to prepare your cervix if you’re going in for a scheduled induction.

SO many people are being induced for a variety of reasons anymore, and I see them fail a LOT (ending in a cesarean). I think it’s thoughtful to try everything you can to get your cervix ready prior to an induction, and this may be one of those things you start prior to it, along with dates, primrose oil and pumping.

Ultimately, this isn’t something clear cut that showed that it worked well in the majority of patients. However, some of the studies showed that it might work, but the vast majority showed it was safe and wouldn’t cause issues.

If you really don’t want to, or you start and you realize it was a mistake there’s no shame in stopping.

So often we do crazy things to make labor happen, when in reality a lot of labor just requires patience. Something I, personally, don’t have a lot of — so that was always hard for me.

AND, if you really want that baby out (and you’re past 39 weeks) maybe the best option (that has been proven to work) is to be induced in the hospital. Something to consider if you’re really just miserable.

Want to be induced? — check out these posts:

• 5 Things NOT to do Before Your Induction
• Pitocin to Induce Labor
• Inducing Labor at 39 Weeks: Pros and Cons
• 5 Reasons to NOT Get Induced
• What Happens if Your Induction Doesn’t Work?

I do want to say, as a labor nurse I get so tired of people entirely caught off-guard by things that might happen in the hospital. Things like:

• How long an induction might take
• Nurses running in your room if baby’s heart rate goes down
• Interventions like forceps or vacuums

Honestly, all of those are very normal things to happen during labor — but they can really be traumatic for patients who aren’t prepared.

Personally, I think the best thing you guys can do is get prepared for birth. I recommend The Online Prenatal Class for Couples to help you do that… It is:

• Only 3-hours long and comes in under 20 minute “birth bites” so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed by it.
• A great price — one of the best online!
• Created to make you a team instead a player and a cheerleader. Let’s get in this together!

I think it’s the best way you can spend your time right now, and who knows — with a little cuddle time thinking about your bright future you might get in the mood.

And I’m never one to stop a mood. 🙂