When to induce late term pregnancies

Giving clear unbiased information to pregnant women enabling them to make their own choices is extremely important. For those with late term pregnancies a new trial reported by Wennerholm and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.l6131) suggests that waiting longer than 41 weeks to induce labour increases the risk of perinatal mortality.1

The SWEdish Post-term Induction Study (SWEPIS) randomised 2760 women with low risk singleton pregnancies to induction of labour at 41 weeks or expectant management until induction at 42 weeks. The primary outcome was a composite of perinatal mortality and morbidity and no difference was found between the groups. The authors observed an average of three days difference in gestation, and the proportions of caesarean sections, instrumental births, and major maternal morbidity were similar. A systematic …