Evolutionary Advantage of Rampant Sex!

[The Atheist]

This is probably old hat for parents, but it may be of interest to others.

In humans and some other animals, semen includes a prostoglandin, oxytocin, which is similar to or the same as the oxytocin released by pregnant women's pituitary glands to start the process of labour.

Intending parents have been told for years that sex can start or speed up labour, and it seems to me this is a case for why humans are so sex-driven. I know of no other animals which mate during late pregnancy, but it must be advantageous for the mother:

It ensures pregnancy doesn't go too far over term, potentially resulting in a too-large baby.

Speeding labour reduces the stress on the baby and mother.

I've always considered the whole thing to be a pretty good example of evolution at work in humans.

Others may have more scientific information to add.

 

[plumjam]

...I know of no other animals which mate during late pregnancy...

If we're being brutally honest with ourselves we'll admit that some animals just don't get to choose.

 

[mummymonkey]

It might be a way for the female to ensure that the male sticks around?

 

[Kernel Hapablap]

I'm a new parent. Like many, we read as many current parenting books as possible. The newer information sources, like "What to expect when you're expecting", and the info from the local hospital suggested the sex-labour connection was a myth. Here is a link on the subject:
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/induction/f/sexforlabor.htm

During my wife's pregnancy, one thing that became abundantly clear was how often the medical community is changing its mind based on new evidence, and how many things have been "told for years" only to be complete bumpkiss. For example, while our parents were told to use bumper pads to protect babies in the crib, we were told it would lead to suffocation and maybe SIDS. While our parents may have doused us with baby powder, we were told the powder fumes could be harmful.

Pregnancy mythology is ridiculously rampant. Just look at this questionnaire to "determine" if it is a boy or a girl without an ultrasound

http://www.childbirth.org/articles/boyorgirl.html

All this to say we can't draw too many conclusions from an industry that is in such a constant state of flux

 

[The Atheist]

I'm a new parent. Like many, we read as many current parenting books as possible. The newer information sources, like "What to expect when you're expecting", and the info from the local hospital suggested the sex-labour connection was a myth.

Well, it's undoubted that the hormone resides in semen, so it seems likely that there's some truth in it.

 

[Darth Rotor]

FWIW, we had sex up to the day of labour for our first, and up to a couple of days from labour when our second was born. We had heard that sex might induce labour, but that isn't why we did so. We did it because we both felt like it, and we'd been advised by our OB and our La Maz instructor that, certain positions avoided, it was not a danger to the baby in progress.

DR

 

[The Atheist]

We did it because we both felt like it, and we'd been advised by our OB and our La Maz instructor that, certain positions avoided, it was not a danger to the baby in progress.

DR

La Maz? That's that Spanish technique, si?

(Lamaze )

Fair enough, too!

Whether there's an evolutionary advantage in it or not, pregnant women are as horny as hell.

Now, if we could bottle that....