Inducing labor in normal full-term
pregnancies has generally been frowned upon, but a new study suggests
that induction causes no apparent harm, and may have advantages.
Researchers pooled data from five randomized
trials involving 884 women with uncomplicated full-term singleton
deliveries at 39 to 41 weeks’ gestation. Half had induced labor, and
half got regular care. The analysis appears in the American Journal of
Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Previous observational studies have concluded
that induction leads to more cesarean sections, but the data from these
trials produced no evidence of this. Nor was there any difference
between the groups in five-minute Apgar scores lower than seven (scores
below seven call for medical attention) or admission to a neonatal
intensive care unit.
Particularly, they found that induction was
associated with significantly lower blood loss for the mother and a
significantly lower rate of meconium staining, a fetal bowel movement in
the uterus that can cause serious respiratory problems for the infant.
“We have the preliminary data saying that
what we thought about induction — that it led to increased C-sections —
is wrong,” said the lead author, Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, a professor of
obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University in
Philadelphia.
Induction before 39 weeks in healthy
pregnancies is not recommended, Dr. Berghella said, but at 39 weeks and
later, “induction is safe and effective, even in cases without other
complications of pregnancy.”
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