Labor, Induced

Publication of trial results showing reduced cesarean birth and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy risks with elective labor induction was associated with a rise in elective labor induction for singleton, nulliparous pregnancies.

Compared with expectant management, inducing labor at 39 weeks’ gestation may be cost-effective for nulliparas with unfavorable cervical exams, according to data published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of preterm birth associated with cesarean section and induced labor was significantly lower than the predicted rate and remained lower throughout, data published in Pediatrics showed.

In the year after the ARRIVE trial, there were more inductions of labor, more deliveries at 39 weeks’ gestation and fewer cesarean deliveries nationwide, according to data published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Infants with severe small for gestational age who were delivered iatrogenically due to suspected fetal growth restriction, or FGR, had poorer developmental and neurocognitive outcomes than infants without suspected FGR, data show.