Inducing labor doesn’t necessarily increase the need for a cesarean birth, according to new study results. Researchers with the Stanford University School of Medicine and University of California, San Francisco found that by inducing labor in women who were at or beyond their due date, the rate of cesarean delivery was reduced by 22 percent. The findings were published in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
In a related study done by researchers with Stanford University, inducing once pregnancy is beyond full-term, or 41 weeks, may be safer than allowing the pregnancy to continue. “The mother’s body is designed to protect and feed the baby for a finite amount of time,” explained Scott Bergstedt, MD, obstetrician and gynecologist with OBG-1. “After nine months or so, the placenta becomes less efficient in transmitting oxygen to the baby resulting in fetal distress. The mother’s body suffers as it steals reserves from her body to feed and protect the baby.”
Cesarean births, or c-sections, have risen in recent decades. In 1995, one in five births was cesarean; today the rate is one in three. The number of inductions has risen, also, in recent years. One of the physicians involved in the study cautioned against relating the two statistics. “It appears there is a misunderstanding regarding the association of increased cesarean deliveries with elective induction of labor, a procedure which has been rising in frequency,” said Dr. Aaron Caughey, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF. “However, our findings need to be tempered with women’s and physicians’ expectations of choosing to induce labor.”
“Every birth experience is different; mothers will tell you that each of their deliveries are unique,” said Dr. Bergstedt. “The take away message is that inducing doesn’t necessarily mean a c-section will follow. By monitoring the health of the mother and baby, physicians determine what method will produce the best outcome.”
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