Quantitative foetal fibronectin as a predictor of successful induction of labour in post-date pregnancies

Abstract

Objective: To study the relationship between induced labour, quantitative levels of fibronectin and the Bishop score.

Study design: Vaginal fibronectin/Bishop score were estimated in 33 nulliparous women undergoing induction of labour for post-dates at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital London.

Results: There was no significant relationship between either the fibronectin level or Bishop score and the duration of the latent phase (R(2)=0.001; P=0.86 and R(2)=0.12; P=0.08, respectively). There was no relationship between the total prostaglandin dose and fibronectin level (R(2)=0.03; P=0.39) nor any significant correlation between either the Bishop score or fibronectin level and the induction to delivery time (R(2)=0.13; P=0.11 and R(2)=0.0006; P=0.97, respectively). Significant relationships were observed inversely between the total prostin dose and Bishop score (R(2)=0.33; P=0.002), between the total prostin dose and latent phase (R(2)=0.54; P=0.000009) and between Bishop score and the fibronectin levels (R(2)=0.19; P<0.01).

Conclusions: Quantitative foetal fibronectin is not a useful test for inducibility at term.