Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes of Elective Labor Induction at 39 Weeks Gestation

A recent study investigated maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with planned elective labor induction (eIOL) – between 39 weeks and 39 weeks and 6 days of gestation. The research focused on nulliparous singleton pregnancies, with outcomes tracked throughout the hospital stay.

This was a prospective observational study. Here, consecutive nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies undergoing eIOL were recruited within the specified gestational age range. Cases with planned cesarean section or contraindications for vaginal delivery were excluded. The primary outcomes included cesarean section incidence and neonatal intensive care requirements. In contrast, the secondary outcomes were induction-delivery interval, chorioamnionitis, postpartum hemorrhage, meconium aspiration syndrome, APGAR scores at 1 minute, and neonatal mortality.

Overall, 304 mothers were assessed, of which 26.3% underwent cesarean section; 15.8% of the neonates required intensive care. Additionally, 4.9% of neonates needed respiratory support at birth, and the mean induction-delivery interval was 19 hours and 42 minutes. There were 3% cases with postpartum hemorrhage, no instances of chorioamnionitis, and 3.6% of babies with an APGAR score ≤7 at 1 minute. While the meconium aspiration syndrome cases were 2.9%, no maternal or neonatal mortality was reported.

The findings suggested that inducing labor at 39 weeks in low-risk nulliparous women did not lead to a reduction in cesarean section frequency or an increase in adverse perinatal outcomes.

Source: Shajan A, Menon B, Gilvaz S, Biju N, Abraham SV. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India. 2023 Oct 31:1-7.