Intrapartum intervention and delivery outcome in low-risk pregnancy.

A retrospective cohort study of 1597 low-risk pregnancies assessed the effects of obstetrical intervention using logistic regression. Both maternal and neonatal morbidity were low (15.2 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively). Epidural analgesia, oxytocin, or both, were associated with worse maternal outcome, and neonatal outcome was worse when oxytocin was used. However, epidural analgesia seemed to provide a protective neonatal effect when oxytocin was used during labor. Both elective and medically necessary use of these interventions were associated with increased morbidity. If obstetrical interventions, particularly oxytocin and epidural analgesia, are applied in low-risk pregnancies, labors must be monitored carefully and the risk-benefit ratios judged advantageous.