BED REST IN PREGNANCY PROFESSIONAL

Instead of helping, bed rest often causes negative outcomes, like an increased risk for blood clots, bone loss, muscle deconditioning and atrophy, decreased cardiovascular health, STRESS and a whole host of other nasty psychological effects (I can’t even imagine) - none of which magically vanish after a woman has a baby. There is no evidence that bed rest prevents preterm labor/birth, miscarriage, or other pregnancy complications.

If you’re in a hurry and just want the quick synopsis on whether bed rest works as a preventative approach to pregnancy complications, then all you have to know is this:

BED REST IN PREGNANCY PROFESSIONAL

Instead, this is a synthesis of the available research and guidance from professional organizations. **Please note: this article is not intended to offer medical advice (like I said, I’m a historian, not a doctor^^) - and every woman’s pregnancy and situation is unique. But the issue of bed rest during pregnancy is astonishing, in my eye, for still being publicly billed as a “controversy” when in fact the medical literature is abundantly clear on the matter. In short: it’s a classic disconnect between evidence and practice. I was a medical history professor in a former life (this is where my training lies), so I’m used to wading through medical debates old and new (and please know that yes, this PSA will include a brief history lesson - we’ll get to that shortly). Bed Rest In Pregnancy: Does it Work? Updated April 2023Įvery year, for various reasons (ranging from premature rupture of membranes to placenta previa to shortened cervixes or carrying multiples), roughly 20% of pregnant women in the US are prescribed bed rest at one point or another.

Bed rest in pregnancy