Labor Induction and Augmentation: Q&A with Chad Grotegut, MD

Chad Grotegut, MD, an ob/gyn at Duke Medicine, discusses labor induction and augmentation, and breaks down new research on labor practices and autism risk.  What is labor induction and labor augmentation?Labor induction is the process in which we stimulate contractions using medications or other procedures to help a woman go into labor if she hadn’t previously been in labor. In augmented labor, a woman is already in labor and having contractions, but her cervix is not changing and her labor is not progressing, so we use medications or procedures to make these contractions more frequent and longer to progress the labor. As induction and augmentation rates have risen in the past 10 to 15 years, some neonatal complications have decreased, including the risk for stillbirth. What are some of the most common reasons for inducing labor?Our goal for inducing labor is to prevent complications that can occur to the baby or mother as a result of the baby remaining in utero.  The most common reasons for labor induction are grouped into three main categories: maternal medical conditions, fetal conditions, and post term pregnancy.   Maternal medical conditions include diabetes, hypertension, pre-disposition for blood clotting disorders and others issues that put the mother at risk.  Women with these medical conditions have increased risk for stillbirth, so the goal is to have them deliver when they reach term in an effort to decrease the risk of stillbirth.  There are also materna...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Gynecology Source Type: news