Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Inducing Labor In Healthy Women At 39 Weeks May Actually Cut C-Section Rates, Surprising Study Finds
The Washington Post: Inducing Labor At 39 Weeks For Healthy Pregnancies May Improve Outcomes For Mothers, Study Suggests
The prevailing wisdom on healthy pregnancies has long been to just wait it out. Only after reaching the full-term 40-week mark will many doctors consider hurrying a birth along with drugs. The thinking is that inducing labor increases the risk of complications, which lead to more Caesarean sections, putting both the baby and the mother at risk. A new study suggests that idea might be wrong. (Cha, 8/8)
NPR: Pregnancy Controversy Gets New Data: Inducing Labor Can Be Safe
Obstetricians currently induce labor when a delivery has failed to progress, or if a woman is far overdue for giving birth. But when women who have no medical need for induced labor have talked to their doctors, "We've been saying, 'Well you know one thing you need to know is it does increase the C-section rate,' " says. Dr. Uma Reddy, an obstetrics researcher at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (Harris, 8/8)
Stat: Inducing Labor At 39 Weeks Is Safe And Linked To Lower Risk Of C-Sections
“I think it’s going to have a very big impact on obstetric practice not just in the U.S., but around the world,” said Dr. Kate Walker, an obstetrician and University of Nottingham researcher who has studied the health impact of induction but was not involved in the new paper. (Thielking, 8/8)
