Overdue pregnancies in India: An observational study comparing induction with expectant management

Abstract

Background of the Study:This research compared elective induction of labor (e-IOL)* in overdue pregnancies (40 1/7 to 40 6/7 weeks) with expectant management (EM)* up to 41 weeks, and it was designed as a prospective observational study. The major focus was to examine the variance in the frequency of cesarean sections between the two groups. methodological framework Women who met the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria were sought out when they had reached the 40th week of pregnancy. There were 112 people in the sample. Group 1 (e-IOL) comprised 56 people who were induced between weeks 40.1-60.7 of their pregnancies, while Group 2 (EM) had 56 people who were provided expectant management until week 41 of their pregnancies. Women in Group 2 were further classified into Group 2a if they went into labor on their own while under expectant care, and Group 2 b if they were induced for maternal/fetal reasons or because they were beyond 41 weeks and 7 days pregnant. Result: The risk of spontaneous labor was raised by expecting management through 41 weeks of gestation beyond the due date without compromising perinatal outcome. In the EM group, 78.2% of women had birth vaginally after going into labor spontaneously. In our research, the rate of caesarean sections was lower for EM (37.5%) than for e-IOL (58.9%) (p=0.002). Conclusion:Compared to elective induction of labor, expectant management resulted in a lower rate of caesarean sections for women with postdate pregnancies. There was no difference in perinatal outcomes across the groups. Births that occurred vaginally were more common among participants who went into spontaneous labor while under expectant management.