Association between Sexual Activity during Pregnancy, Pre- and Early-Term Birth, and Vaginal Cytokine Inflammation: A Prospective Study of Black Women
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the association between sexual activity during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes among Black women, and to explore whether vaginal cytokine inflammation mediates this association. Data from 397 Black pregnant women through questionnaires on sexual activity and vaginal biosamples during early (8–14 weeks) and late (24–30 weeks) pregnancy, and birth outcomes were analyzed. Using a data-driven approach, the study found that vaginal sex during late pregnancy was associated with spontaneous early-term birth (sETB, 38–39 completed weeks’ gestation) (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: [0.21, 0.72], p-value = 0.003) but not with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) (OR = 1.08, p-value = 0.86) compared to full-term birth. Overall, despite vaginal sex in late pregnancy showing an overall positive effect on sETB (total effect = −0.1580, p-value = 0.015), we observed a negative effect of vaginal sex on sETB (indirect effect = 0.0313, p-value = 0.026) due to the fact that having vaginal sex could lead to elevated IL6 levels, which in turn increased the odds of sETB. In conclusion, the study found an overall positive association between sexual activity on ETB and a negative partial mediation effect via increased vaginal cytokine inflammation induced by vaginal sexual activity. This inconsistent mediation model suggested that vaginal sexual activity is a complex behavior that could have both positive and negative effects on the birth outcome.
Source: Healthcare
Institutions: Columbia University, Emory University
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,224
Awards: Maintenance and Enhancement of the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort: Exposome Profiling via High-resolution Metabolomics and Integration of Microbiome-Metabolome-Epigenome Data, Center for Children's Health, the Environment, the Microbiome, and Metabolomics (C-CHEM2), Biobehavioral Determinants of the Microbiome and Preterm Birth in Black Women, Maintenance and Enhancement of the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort
OpenAlex ID: W4384068000