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Review
. 2019 Oct 30:8:F1000 Faculty Rev-1829.
doi: 10.12688/f1000research.17587.1. eCollection 2019.

Recent advances in the induction of labor

Anna Maria Marconi  1
Affiliations
Review

Recent advances in the induction of labor

Anna Maria Marconi. F1000Res. .

Abstract

The rate of labor induction is steadily increasing and, in industrialized countries, approximately one out of four pregnant women has their labor induced. Induction of labor should be considered when the benefits of prompt vaginal delivery outweigh the maternal and/or fetal risks of waiting for the spontaneous onset of labor. However, this procedure is not free of risks, which include an increase in operative vaginal or caesarean delivery and excessive uterine activity with risk of fetal heart rate abnormalities. A search for "Induction of Labor" retrieves more than 18,000 citations from 1844 to the present day. The aim of this review is to summarize the controversies concerning the indications, the methods, and the tools for evaluating the success of the procedure, with an emphasis on the scientific evidence behind each.

Keywords: Induction of labor; prediction of successful induction; prostaglandins.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing interests were disclosed.No competing interests were disclosed.Competing interests: Rohan D'Souza has received speaking honoraria from Ferring Canada for presentations on induction of labour

References

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    1. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE): Induction of labour. Clinical Guideline 70. [Internet].2008; [cited 2016 October 10]. Reference Source
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