It is often the case that in some of the pregnant woman's exams the gynecologist tells a woman that she has a short cervix, that is why she is more likely to have a premature birth and that the treatment in this case is make bed rest, in order to get the baby to be born at term.
We have all heard this recommendation, in fact, because it is very common for some pregnant women to spend weeks or months in bed, trying to do everything possible to ensure that everything goes well. However, a recent study has concluded the opposite, that women who rest have a higher risk of having a preterm birth than those who continue to live normal lives.
Data about the study
The study, which was originally designed to measure the effects of progesterone injections on the risk of having a premature delivery in women with a short cervix, was carried out with 646 women who, weekly, answered questionnaires in which there were questions concerning the advice to limit activities by your doctors.
According to data, 39% of women took bed rest or reduced some activities, being week 24 the average of the moment in which they began to follow the recommendation. The funny thing, what they didn't expect to find, was that 37% of women who had limited activities or had rest had a premature delivery. In the other group of women, those who continued to live a normal life (despite also having a short cervix), only 17% had a baby ahead of time. These data were maintained when they eliminated variables that could bias the results such as age, ethnicity, medical history and other issues detected by ultrasound tests.
The problem is that the researchers they are not able to explain the reason that they obtained such results. Perhaps it happened, they say, because these women were simply more likely to have premature births, or that the stress and anxiety caused by the same rest, not being able to do the things you have always done, increases the risks.
A few years ago we echoed another study that questioned the effectiveness of bed rest in preventing premature birth. Then it was found that there were no differences between those who deprived themselves of leading a normal life and those who did not change their customs, and the usefulness of the council was questioned. Now, with this study, not only no differences are observed, but it seems that it is better to ignore the recommendation.
The authors suggest that, if you are a woman, you are pregnant, you have a short cervix and they send you to rest to prevent the child from being born prematurely, talk to who recommends it to see if there is evidence to support the advice. Maybe with a "I have read a scientific study that says it is worse" let's get sow doubt in it and, at the very least, take the trouble to look for the evidence behind the recommendation.
