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To determine whether elective and medically indicated labor induction is associated with risk for cesarean delivery, researchers retrospectively reviewed electronic obstetric records of 7804 nulliparous women with singleton vertex pregnancies between 37 and 42 weeks' gestation at a regional U.S. hospital. Obstetric providers included teaching faculty and independent community obstetricians.
The overall induction rate was 44% (including postterm inductions); of these inductions, 40% were elective. The most common indications for cesarean delivery were labor dystocia (75%) and fetal distress (28%). Labor dystocia occurred significantly more often among women who underwent labor induction than among those who had spontaneous labor (79% vs. 69%)…