BACKGROUND The rates of induction of labor and elective induction of labor are increasing. Whether elective induction of labor improves outcomes or simply leads to greater complications and health care costs is commonly debated in the literature. PURPOSE To compare the benefits and harms of elective induction of labor and expectant management of pregnancy. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE (through Febr...

OBJECTIVES To perform a preliminary investigation into the use of elastography for cervical assessment, in order to determine the effectiveness of this method for the evaluation of cervical consistency. METHODS Elastography of the uterine cervix was performed in 29 patients before induction of labor, with tissue surrounding the internal os described using a numeric scale called the elastograp...

low-risk pregnancy include evaluation of decreased fetal movement, spontaneous variable decelerations during monitoring to evaluate for labor, or an ultrasound evaluation for fundal height measurements discordant with gestational age. How should “isolated” oligohydramnios—an AFI <5 cm—be interpreted, and should immediate induction be recommended for such patients? Oligohydramnios occurs in abou...

We evaluated the relationship between duration of labor induction and successful vaginal delivery (VD) in nulliparous women at term. Nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies > or = 37 weeks who underwent labor induction at a single institution were studied. Exclusion criteria were nonvertex presentation, stillbirth, fetal chromosomal/structural abnormalities, spontaneous labor, and spontane...

Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the methods, indications, outcome of induced labor and its significance in obstetric practice in the study area. Methods. This was a retrospective study of cases of induced labor at the Catholic Maternity Hospital in Ogoja, Cross-River State, Nigeria, between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2011. Data on the sociodemographic characteristics of...

background: third stage of labor has been defined as the most dangerous stage. due to the importance of the third stage, this study was performed in order to determine its length and related factors. materials and methods: this research is a cross sectional study which was carried out on 1000 deliveries in shabihkhani hospital (kashan-iran). inclusion criteria consist of gestational age of high...

PURPOSE To describe the maternal and fetal outcomes with the use of the Foley catheter for induction of labor in high-risk pregnant women with previous caesarean section. METHODS An interventive and descriptive study was conducted from November 2013 to June 2014. A total of 39 pregnant women at term, with a live fetus, cephalic presentation, estimated fetal weight <4,000 g, with previous cesa...

OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to examine the hypothesis that corticosteroids, when administered extraamniotically, can enhance the labor process and reduce the induction-to-delivery interval. STUDY DESIGN A double-blind, randomized study was conducted on 98 women with a gestational age of 36 to 42 weeks, an unfavorable cervix, and medical indications for delivery, who were assigned to receive eit...

Induction of labor is common in obstetric practice. According to the most current studies, the rate varies from 9.5 to 33.7 percent of all pregnancies annually. In the absence of a ripe or favorable cervix, a successful vaginal birth is less likely. Therefore, cervical ripening or preparedness for induction should be assessed before a regimen is selected. Assessment is accomplished by calculati...

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to determine the risk of uterine rupture in patients induced with oxytocin or misoprostol after 1 or more previous cesarean sections. STUDY DESIGN Patients with 1 or more previous cesarean sections who delivered after 28 weeks' gestation between 1996 and 2002 were identified by database. Among 3533 total patients, rates of uterine rupture were compared amon...