Induction of Labor at 39 Weeks Benefits Perinatal Outcomes for Some

FRIDAY, July 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Induction of labor (IOL) at 39 weeks is associated with a small reduction in the risk for adverse perinatal outcomes, particularly for women with socioeconomic deprivation and nulliparous women, according to a study published online July 20 in PLOS Medicine.

Patrick Muller, Ph.D., from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and colleagues sought to identify adverse perinatal outcomes associated with IOL with birth at 39 weeks of gestation versus expectant management based on maternal characteristics in women with low-risk pregnancies. The analysis included data from 1.6 million women with singleton pregnancy births at National Health Service hospitals from January 2018 to March 2021.

The researchers found that 3.3 percent of births in the IOL group and 3.6 percent in the expectant management group had an adverse perinatal outcome, which persisted in an adjusted analysis (risk difference, −0.28 percent). Based on socioeconomic background, this risk difference varied (0.38 percent in the least deprived to −0.48 percent in the most deprived national quintile). Differences were also seen by parity status (risk difference of −0.54 percent in nulliparous women and −0.15 percent in multiparous women). Risk differences did not vary by ethnicity.

"An increased uptake of IOL with birth at 39 weeks, especially in women from more socioeconomically deprived areas and in nulliparous women, may help reduce inequalities in perinatal outcomes," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text