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Bed rest during pregnancy

Your health care provider may order you to stay in bed for a few days or weeks. This is called bed rest.

Bed rest used to be recommended routinely for a number of pregnancy problems, including:

  • High blood pressure
  • Premature or preterm changes in the cervix
  • Problems with the placenta
  • Vaginal bleeding
  • Early labor
  • More than one baby
  • History of early birth or miscarriage
  • Baby is not growing well
  • Baby has medical problems

Now, though, most providers have stopped recommending bed rest except in rare circumstances. The reason is that studies have not shown that being on bed rest can prevent preterm birth or other pregnancy problems. And some complications may also occur due to bed rest.

If your provider recommends bed rest, discuss the pros and cons carefully with them.

Review Date: 11/21/2022

Reviewed By

LaQuita Martinez, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, Alpharetta, GA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

References

Bigelow CA, Factor SH, Miller M, Weintraub A, Stone J. Pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of bed rest on maternal and fetal outcomes in women with preterm premature rupture of the membranes. Am J Perinatol. 2016;33(4):356-363. PMID: 26461925 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26461925/.

Harper LM, Tita A, Karumanchi SA. Pregnancy-related hypertension. In: Lockwood CJ, Copel JA, Dugoff L, et al, eds. Creasy and Resnik's Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Principles and Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 45.

Sibai BM. Preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders. In: Landon MB, Galan HL, Jauniaux ERM, et al, eds. Gabbe's Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 38.

Unal ER, Newman RB. Multiple gestations. In: Landon MB, Galan HL, Jauniaux ERM, et al, eds. Gabbe's Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 39.

Disclaimer

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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