Research Finds Inducing Labor Could Reduce Number Of Cesarean Sections
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Researchers have found a potential new way to avoid cesarean sections. This new research says inducing labor just a week early can reduce the number of c-sections, which can be risky.
Loren Lee is expecting her first child, a baby girl, next month.
With her due date approaching, she's hoping to avoid a c-section.
"I think of a c-section as kind of major surgery which is something that your body will, you know, has to really recover from, so the natural alternative seems a lot better for me in terms of health," said Lee.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds healthy first-time mothers who had induced labor at 39 weeks were less likely to deliver by c-section, compared to moms who waited for labor to start on its own.
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"Traditionally, people have worried about the higher rate of cesarean with induction, but now the investigators found definitively that it's not true," said Dr. Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman. "And so it provides options for women who are pregnant."
The study, the largest to date, looked at more than 6,000 low-risk pregnant women and also found infants were more likely to experience complications and moms had a lower risk of high-blood pressure disorders.
Natural delivery when possible is considered better for mom and baby. As c-section rates have gone up in recent decades, doctors say these new findings could be part of the solution.
"I think that we have tried as obstetricians and women care providers to really decrease the cesarean section rate and this is one small step that might help with that," said Dr. Gyamfi-Bannerman.
Lee says she's focusing on the joy of becoming a new mother.
"I'm just excited for the whole experience in general," she said.
Labor is usually induced with the drug Pitocin, which is a synthetic form of the hormone that naturally starts the delivery process.
