A randomized trial of induction at 42 weeks gestation versus expectant management for postdates pregnancies. Comparison of elective induction of labor with favorable Bishop scores versus expectant management: a randomized clinical trial. Is induction of labor indicated in prolonged pregnancy? Results of a prospective randomised trial. Induction of labor as compared with serial antenatal monitoring in post-term pregnancy. A randomized controlled trial. The Canadian Multicenter Post-term Pregnancy Trial Group. Induction of labor or serial antenatal fetal monitoring in postterm pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. [Comparison of 2 obstetrical attitudes vis-à-vis inducing labor at term. Randomized study]. Randomised comparison of early versus late induction of labour in post-term pregnancy. A controlled trial of surgical induction of labour and amnioscopy in the management of prolonged pregnancy. Pregnancy outcome beyond 41 weeks gestation. Induction of labor with three different techniques at 41 weeks of gestation or spontaneous follow-up until 42 weeks in women with definitely unfavorable cervical scores. Prolonged pregnancy: the management dilemma. Management of prolonged pregnancy: a randomized trial of induction of labour and antepartum foetal monitoring. Management of prolonged pregnancy: induction of labor versus antepartum fetal testing. Elective induction of labour. A randomised prospective trial. A clinical trial of induction of labor versus expectant management in postterm pregnancy. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Network of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units. [Management of pregnancies beyond forty-one week's gestation with an unfavorable cervix]. Comparison of induced versus non-induced labor in post-term pregnancy. A randomized prospective study.
A randomized prospective clinical trial of induction of labor at 42 completed weeks gestation versus expectant management in postdates pregnancies was performed. The primary screening test was the 24-hr urinary estriol creatinine ratio. The cesarean section rate was high in both groups and did not differ statistically. Intervention by delivery at 42 weeks decreased the development of small for gestational age infants, but costs slightly more. Twenty-four-hour urinary estriol creatinine ratio determinations predicted fetal distress in labor, but could not predict postmaturity syndrome or infants who were small for gestational age. As expectant management did not differ from induction of labor at 42 weeks from the standpoint of maternal outcome, and as the cost difference was small, induction of labor at 42 weeks may be the preferred management as it improves infant outcome. To determine if elective induction (IND) increases the risk of cesarean delivery compared to expectant management (EM).
                A randomized clinical trial involving women 39 weeks' gestation, according to strict dating criteria, with a Bishop score of 5 or more in nulliparous patients and 4 or more in multiparous patients. The control group was expectantly managed and delivered for obstetric indications, but not later than 42 weeks' gestation. The study had 80% power to detect a three-fold increase in cesarean delivery.
                One-hundred-and-sixteen patients (45 nulliparous) were randomized to IND and 110 (58 nulliparous) to EM. Demographic characteristics were no different between the groups. The cesarean delivery rate in the IND group was 6.9% (8/116) compared to 7.3% (8/110) in the EM group (p = NS). Rates of cesarean delivery for nulliparous patients randomized to IND compared to EM were also not significantly different: 13.3% (6/45) versus 10.3% (6/58) respectively (p = NS). Neonates delivered of IND patients weighed less than those of the EM group (3459 +/- 347 versus 3604 +/- 438, p = 0.006).
                In women with favorable Bishop scores, elective induction of labor resulted in no increase in cesarean delivery compared to expectant management. In 345 women with a favorable cervical score at due date, labor was either induced by means of intravaginal application of tablets containing 3 mg of prostaglandin E2 or spontaneous onset of labor was awaited until the 42nd week of pregnancy. Eighty percent of the nulliparae and 96.3% of the multiparae of the induction group gave birth within 24 h of the administration of the first tablet. All pertinent delivery intervals were significantly shorter in this group compared to those women where spontaneous onset of labor was awaited. The rate of operative deliveries was lower in the induction group. With the exception of 1 fetal death 3 days after due date, fetal outcome was excellent in both groups. Elective induction was at least equivalent to awaiting the onset of spontaneous labor and was not associated with higher complication rates due to the method of induction. The rates of perinatal mortality and neonatal morbidity are higher for post-term pregnancies than for term pregnancies. It is not known, however, whether the induction of labor results in better outcomes than does serial fetal monitoring while awaiting spontaneous labor.
                We studied 3407 women with uncomplicated pregnancies of 41 or more weeks' duration. The women were randomly assigned to undergo induction of labor or to have serial antenatal monitoring and spontaneous labor unless there was evidence of fetal or maternal compromise, in which case labor was induced or cesarean section was performed. In the induction group, labor was induced by the intracervical application of prostaglandin E2. Serial antenatal monitoring consisted of counts of fetal kicks, nonstress tests, and assessments of amniotic-fluid volume. The outcomes we measured were the rates of perinatal mortality, neonatal morbidity, and delivery by cesarean section.
                Among the 1701 women in the induction group, 360 (21.2 percent) underwent cesarean section, as compared with 418 (24.5 percent) of the 1706 women in the monitoring group (P = 0.03). This difference resulted from a lower rate of cesarean section performed because of fetal distress among the women in the induction group (5.7 percent vs. 8.3 percent, P = 0.003). When two infants with lethal congenital anomalies were excluded, there were no perinatal deaths in the induction group and two stillbirths in the monitoring group (P not significant). The frequency of neonatal morbidity was similar in the two groups.
                In post-term pregnancy, the induction of labor results in a lower rate of cesarean section than serial antenatal monitoring; the rates of perinatal mortality and neonatal morbidity are similar with the two approaches to management. To compare induction of labor at gestational age 41 weeks with expectant management in regard to neonatal morbidity. Secondary aims were to assess the effect of these managements on mode of delivery and maternal complications.
                Between September 2002 and July 2004, postterm women with singleton cephalic presentation and no prelabor rupture of membranes were randomly assigned to induction of labor at 289 days or antenatal fetal surveillance every third day until spontaneous labor. Main outcome measures were neonatal morbidity, operative delivery rates, and maternal complications.
                Five hundred eight women were randomly assigned, 254 in each group. No differences of clinical importance were observed in women in whom labor was induced compared with women who were expectantly managed with regard to the following outcomes: neonates whose 5-minute Apgar score was less than 7 (three neonates in the induction group compared with four in the monitoring group, P=.72); neonates whose umbilical cord pH was less than 7 (three compared with two, P=.69); prevalence of cesarean delivery (28 compared with 33, P=.50); or prevalence of operative vaginal delivery (32 compared with 27, P=.49). In the induction group more women had precipitate labors (33 compared with 12, P<.01; number needed to treat was 13), and the duration of second stage of labor was more often less than 15 minutes (94 compared with 56, P<.01; number needed to treat was 7).
                No differences were found between the induced and monitored groups regarding neonatal morbidity or mode of delivery, and the outcomes were generally good.
                ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00385229.
                I. nan In a prospective randomised study of mothers referred for prolonged pregnancy (around the 42nd week) 214 (group 1) were submitted to attempted induction of labour and 195 (group 2) assigned to continue for a further week without intervention. Strict selection criteria were used for the certainty of term. Mothers in group 2 were given regular non-stress tests to ensure fetal wellbeing, as were those in group 1 in whom induction failed. In group 1, 48 (23%) out of 210 first attempted inductions failed. In group 2, 135 (69%) of the births started spontaneously as compared with 38 (18%) in group 1. The mean duration of labour was 7.5 hours in each group. There was no significant difference in incidence of operative delivery, use of analgesics, or signs of perinatal asphyxia. Significantly more children in group 1 needed phototherapy for hyperbilirubinaemia. There was a clustering of births in the late afternoon and evening, which was most pronounced in group 1. A policy of vigilant non-intervention up to the 44th completed week of pregnancy does not appear to jeopardize mother or fetus. nan To determine maternal and perinatal morbidity and the spontaneous labor rate beyond 41 weeks of gestation.
                Patients with uncomplicated pregnancy were recruited at 41 weeks and screened for fetal or maternal well-being. Following observation between 41 and 42 weeks, patients were randomized to either serial monitoring by cardiotocography and measurement of amniotic fluid index, or to immediate induction. Comparisons were made using the chi(2) test. Results after 42 weeks were analyzed according to intention at randomization.
                Morbidity was not increased before 42 weeks. After 42 weeks, the cesarean section rate and incidence of meconium below the vocal cords were increased in monitored patients. The median gestational age in patients who were monitored was 298.5 (294-321) days. In patients observed from 41 weeks, 91.6% labored spontaneously.
                It is reasonable to observe uncomplicated pregnancy until 42 weeks with adequate monitoring. After 42 weeks, induction of labor is preferred. To compare the obstetric outcome of induction of labor at 41 weeks and of follow-up until 42 weeks and induction if the patient has still not given birth at 42 weeks.
                Six hundred women at 287+/-1 days of gestation with definitely unfavorable cervical scores were randomized to labor induction (N=300) or spontaneous follow-up (N=300) with twice-weekly nonstress testing and amniotic fluid measurement and once-weekly biophysical scoring. The treatments used in the induction group were (1) vaginal administration of 50 microg misoprostol (n=100), (2) oxytocin induction (n=100), and (3) transcervical insertion of a Foley balloon (n=100). The primary outcome measures were the cesarean delivery rate, whether or not the normal hospital stay had to be extended, and the neonatal outcomes. Secondary outcome measure included number of emergency cesarean deliveries performed for abnormalities of the fetal heart rate (FHR).
                The abdominal delivery rate was 19.3% in the induction group and 22% in the follow-up group (p=0.4). The mean length of hospital stay in the two main groups was 1.4+/-0.8 days and 1.3+/-1 days, respectively (p=0.1). Significantly higher rates of macrosomia and shoulder dystocia were seen in the follow-up group (24.6 and 2.3%) than in the induction group (7.6%, p<0.001; 0.3%, p=0.03). Meconium-stained amniotic fluid and meconium aspiration syndrome were observed significantly less frequently in the induction group (9.3 and 1.3%) than in the follow-up group (20.3%, p<0.001; 4%, p=0.03). Rates of emergency abdominal delivery in response to worrying FHR traces, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and low umblical artery pH were similar in the two groups. There was one intrauterine fetal death in the follow-up group.
                Induction of labor at 41 weeks of gestation does not increase the cesarean delivery rate or cause a longer stay in hospital than follow-up until 42 weeks, and neonatal morbidity is also lower after induction. In a prospective randomized study, pregnancies with unfavorable cervix and well established gestational age of at least 42 weeks were selected for management by either antepartum fetal testing or prostaglandin gel induction of labor. Of the 108 pregnancies studied, 57 (53%) had labor induced and 51 (47%) continued without intervention. Comparison of the two groups showed no difference in meconium staining, fetal distress, length of first stage of labor, the need for intervention, or the mode of delivery. In terms of Apgar score the neonatal outcome was not significantly different but a greater proportion of the babies (7.8% versus 1.8%) in the noninduced group required intubation. Our data show that there is no particular advantage in letting the pregnancy go beyond 42 completed weeks of gestation especially if prostaglandin is available for induction of labor. The two methods of management of prolonged pregnancy, induction of labour and expectant management with foetal surveillance, have pros and cons. Therefore, we compared the induction of labour with serial antenatal foetal monitoring in the management of post-term pregnancy.
                Seventy-four women with uncomplicated pregnancy at 41 weeks (287 days) of gestation were randomly assigned to undergo either induction of labour or serial antenatal foetal monitoring. Labour was induced in the latter group whenever there was evidence of foetal compromise. Antenatal monitoring consisted of the foetal kick count, non-stress test and biophysical profile.
                Fifty-seven per cent of women went into spontaneous labour by 41 weeks and 4 days (291 days) of gestation and only 14% developed foetal compromise before that. However, when the gestational age was more than 41 weeks and 4 days (291 days), the incidence of meconium staining of amniotic fluid and evidence of uteroplacental insufficiency increased significantly. The rate of caesarean section, instrumental delivery, foetal distress and duration of labour did not differ significantly between the two groups.
                The policy of inducing labour at 41 weeks and 4 days (291 days of gestation) in uncomplicated pregnancies is justified in our population. However, foetal monitoring should begin at 41 weeks of gestation. Three hundred two low-risk obstetric patients with an unfavorable cervical examination and well-established gestational age of at least 287 days were randomly selected for management by either antepartum fetal testing or prostaglandin gel cervical ripening followed by aggressive induction of labor and delivery. The patients managed by induction of labor had a lower incidence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, meconium aspiration, low Apgar scores, postmaturity syndrome, fetal distress, and cesarean delivery than did patients managed with antepartum fetal testing. Our data suggest that prostaglandin gel cervical ripening and induction of labor and delivery by 42 weeks' gestation may be the most appropriate management for patients with well-established gestational age and an unfavorable cervical examination. In a prospective, randomised trial, 111 obstetrically normal pregnant women, who had elective induction of labour performed between 39 and 40 weeks, were compared with 117 controls who were managed expectantly until 41 weeks. Compared with the controls, the patients who had elective induction of labour had significantly less meconium staining in labour and a smaller blood-loss after delivery. The mean length of labour, the amount of pethidine used, and the Apgar scores at 1 minute were similar in the two groups. In the electively induced group, the caesarean-section rate was lower and the use of epidural analgesia more common than in the controls, but the differences were mot statistically signficant. The hour of delivery was similar in the two groups, suggesting that convenience to medical and nursing staff would not be greatly changed by elective induction of labour. There was no evidence that the hazards to mother and child were increased by elective induction, and its use might improve perinatal mortality by reducing the number of unexplained mature stillbirths. Management of the uncomplicated pregnancy prolonged beyond the estimated date of confinement is controversial, particularly when the cervix is unfavorable for induction. The benefit of reducing potential fetal risk with induction of labor must be balanced against the morbidity associated with this procedure. The objective of this study was to compare two strategies for managing postterm pregnancy (i.e., immediate induction and expectant management).
                Four hundred forty patients with uncomplicated pregnancies at 41 weeks' gestation were randomized to either immediate induction of labor (n = 265) or expectant management (n = 175). Patients with expectant management underwent nonstress testing and amniotic fluid volume assessment twice per week. Patients in the induction group underwent induction within 24 hours of randomization. To evaluate the efficacy of intracervical prostaglandin E2 gel, patients in the induction group were randomized in a 2:1 scheme to receive either 0.5 mg prostaglandin E2 gel or placebo gel intracervically 12 hours before induction of labor with oxytocin.
                The incidence of adverse perinatal outcome (neonatal seizures, intracranial hemorrhage, the need for mechanical ventilation, or nerve injury) was 1.5% in the induction group and 1% in the expectant management group (p > 0.05). There were no fetal deaths in either group. There were no differences in mean birth weight or the frequency of macrosomia (birth weight > or = 4000 gm) between the two groups (p > 0.05). Regardless of parity, prostaglandin E2 intracervical gel was not more effective than placebo in ripening the cervix. The cesarean delivery rate was not significantly different in the expectant (18%), prostaglandin E2 gel (23%), or placebo gel (18%) groups.
                Adverse perinatal outcome in otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies of > or = 41 weeks is very low with either of the management schemes described. Thus from the perspective of perinatal morbidity or mortality either management scheme is acceptable. Our purpose was to determine the optimal management of pregnancies beyond 41 week's gestation with a cervix unfavorable for induction.
                All uncomplicated pregnancies that reached 41 weeks'gestation with a Bishop score of< or =4, were randomly assigned to one of two groups
                The duration of labor was shorter in the group "prépidil" compared with the control group (P=0.002). Identification of an unfavorable cervix at 41 weeks was unlikely to change by 42 weeks and cervical ripening was required in 40% cases. There was no significant difference in caesarean section rates. Rates of admission into the neonatal unit and fetal outcomes were similar in the two groups.
                Cervical ripening with prostaglandin gel at 41 week's gestation for uncomplicated singleton pregnancies is safe and should be advocated. To determine the proper management of pregnancy in uncomplicated cases going beyond 42 weeks.
                Randomized controlled trial of induction of labor at or shortly after the 42-week limit, versus close monitoring without induction except when indicated for medical reasons.
                Hospital's obstetrical department
                188 pregnant women, randomly allocated to two groups with 94 in each.
                Induction of labor by stripping of membranes and i.v. oxytocin infusion, with artificial rupture of membranes when the cervical opening was 3 cm or more in diameter. The control group was followed with clinical, biochemical and electronic tests, intervention being applied according to needs.
                Frequency and modes of operative delivery, maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
                The distribution of gestational age (in weeks) at birth was almost identical in the two groups, but there were more operative deliveries in the control group than in the induction group (64 versus 48, p less than 0.05). Maternal complications and perinatal morbidity rates were equally distributed between the groups. There was one perinatal death in the induction group and two deaths among the controls.
                With due reservation for small numbers, routine induction after term may result in fewer operative deliveries. No other advantage has been demonstrated when compared with close monitoring and intervention when medically indicated.
A policy of labour induction compared with expectant management is associated with fewer perinatal deaths and fewer caesarean sections. Some infant morbidities such as meconium aspiration syndrome were also reduced with a policy of post-term labour induction although no significant differences in the rate of NICU admission were seen.
However, the absolute risk of perinatal death is small. Women should be appropriately counselled in order to make an informed choice between scheduled induction for a post-term pregnancy or monitoring without induction (or delayed induction).