Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : August 31, 2018 5:32 PM IST
Inducing labour might not increase chances of c-section. © Shutterstock
The debate around the fact whether induced labour will lead to c-section delivery or not has been doing the rounds for long. Many experts and mid-wives believed that inducing labour increases the chances of a c-section. However, a new study refuted this claim which was published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study's lead author Bill Grobman, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Northwestern University reportedly said that for many years there has been a belief, really deeply ingrained, that labour induction leads to a greater chance of caesarean delivery. Though his belief was based on a relatively long-ago study there has been a fundamental misinterpretation of the results.
When is labour induced?
A labour is induced when a woman fails to feel labour pains on her own long past her expected due date. Some doctors prefer to induce labour if labour pains don't start on the EDD, some might wait for few days up to a week. The decision depends entirely on the doctor and the mother when they want to induce. However, sometimes a labour might be induced early to avoid complications to the mother and baby due to any health crisis. The most common reasons for inducing labour are baby is overdue, fetal retardation or stagnant growth or a health condition of the mother like gestational hypertension or diabetes that could make labour trickier.
However, in this new study, the experts wanted to see if women were better off waiting for labour to start or should be induced. The subjects included were first-time mothers who did not have any health complications. For the experiment, some women were induced labour in the 39th week of pregnancy and others were subjected to "expectant management." After the study, it was seen that women who had a labour induction were 15 per cent less likely to need a caesarean delivery. The study also found that women who underwent induction of labour reported less pain and a sense of more control. However, Dr Grobman believes that the reason why inducing labour leads to c-section should be given a thought again. His study showed that compared to the belief that was making rounds for two decades that inducing labour can double the rates of c-section, the 15 per cent drop isn't huge but a big relief.
Why doctors are concerned about c-sections
A c-section might become necessary if it is a medical emergency like when the baby stops responding or labour pain stops mid-way or there are other complications. However, there are certain risks involved in c-section like possible blood loss and infection for the mother, breathing difficulties in the delivered baby and increased chances of having c-section delivery in future. The aim of the study was to understand if inducing labour will increase the chances of c-section as doctors all over are trying to cut down on the unnecessary number of c-section deliveries happening worldwide. The study thus concluded that women should make an informed decision about how they want to birth their babies and thought inducing labour might not be a deciding factor for c-section it isn't necessary for all to undergo the same. A mother can take a decision if she wants to induce labour or not if labour doesn't start on its own.
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