Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2015 Nov;213(5):629-36.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2015.04.004. Epub 2015 Apr 13.

Induction of labor at full term in uncomplicated singleton gestations: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials

Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Induction of labor at full term in uncomplicated singleton gestations: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials

Gabriele Saccone et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of cesarean and any maternal and perinatal effects of a policy induction of labor in uncomplicated full-term singleton gestations. Searches were performed in an electronic database with the use of a combination of text words related to "induction" and "cesarean section" from inception of each database through December 2014. We included all randomized controlled trials of uncomplicated singleton gestations at full term (ie, between 39 weeks 0/7 days and 40 weeks 6/7 days) with intact membranes randomized to induction of labor or control (ie, expectant management). The primary outcome was the incidence of cesarean delivery. The summary measures were reported as risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Five randomized controlled trials, including 844 women, were analyzed. Full-term vertex singleton gestations receiving induction of labor had similar incidence of cesarean delivery compared to controls (9.7% vs 7.5%; RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.75-2.08). Rates of spontaneous (75.9% vs 80.2%; RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.87-1.02) and operative (13.1% vs 10.6%; RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.83-1.81) vaginal delivery were also similar. Induction was associated with similar rates of chorioamnionitis (9.6% vs 8.0%; RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.38-3.39), but statistically significantly less blood loss (mean difference -57.59 mL; 95% CI, -83.96 to -31.21) compared to controls. Regarding neonatal outcomes, induction was associated with a significantly lower rate of meconium-stained amniotic fluid (4.0% vs 13.5%; RR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.18-0.57) and significantly lower mean birthweight (mean difference -135.51 g; 95% CI, -205.24 to -65.77) compared to control group. Induction of labor at full term in uncomplicated singleton gestations is not associated with increased risk of cesarean delivery and has overall similar outcomes compared to expectant management.

Keywords: cesarean delivery; induction; labor.

PubMed Disclaimer