1. Recent advances in the induction of labor
- Author
-
Anna Maria Marconi
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Labor induced ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Caesarean delivery ,prediction of successful induction ,Review ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,prostaglandins ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Pregnancy ,Oxytocics ,Medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Labor, Induced ,General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Fetus ,Uterine activity ,030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,business.industry ,Obstetrics ,Vaginal delivery ,Cesarean Section ,General Medicine ,Articles ,Induction of labor ,Labor induction ,Female ,business ,Developed country - 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.
- Published
- 2019