Bed rest may not be the best option for preventing preterm labor and may even cause harm to the mother and baby, according to an integrative literature review in a special issue on “Women’s Health Across the Lifespan” in Biological Research for Nursing.
Bed rest or activity restriction, prescribed for up to 1 million women in the U.S. annually to treat pregnancy complications, is based on the assumptions that it is
(a) effective in preventing preterm birth and
(b) safe for both the mother and fetus.
According to the study, however, research over more than two decades has failed to support these assumptions.
Author Judith A. Maloni, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor in the Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University has been conducting research on pregnancy bed rest for more than two decades. In this article, Dr. Maloni reviewed all known research about bed rest, high-risk pregnancy, preterm labor, and how those relate to the side-effects of bone loss, thrombosis, depression, stress, and other symptoms.
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