Induced labour ‘safer’, says study

OFFERING all pregnant women the chance to induce labour early would cut complications and reduce the number of emergency C-sections, a major medical trial has found.

It showed that inducing labour at 39 weeks – a week before the due date – was safer than waiting for the pregnancy to run its course.

A trial of 6,100 women in 41 American hospitals revealed that triggering childbirth cut caesarean sections by 16%, pre-eclampsia and hypertension by 36%, and breathing problems among newborns by 29%.

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, were described as ‘game-changing’ by the researchers. They are also likely to fuel the debate about ‘natural childbirth’. For years, mothers-to-be have been encouraged to resist medical intervention. In addition, Irish doctors are unlikely to want to intervene without obvious medical reason.

There has been a four-fold increase in C-sections in Ireland in the last 30 years. About 20% are elective rather than emergency procedures. Irish doctors are cautious about inducing labour in case something goes wrong.

According to Cork Obstetrics and Gynaecology Associates, labour is induced if the baby is growing too slowly; if the mother goes beyond the expected delivery date by ten to 14 days; or if they have medical problems, such as diabetes. Nevertheless, it is quite common here – almost a third of Irish mothers have labour induced.

Lead author Professor William Grobman from Northwestern University said: ‘Induction at 39 weeks should not be routine for every woman, but it’s important to talk with their provider and decide if they want to be induced.’

About one-in-four women in the UK currently have their labour induced. Although it can be an unpleasant procedure, the study shows early intervention is much safer than previously thought.