Health Alert: Inducing labor at 39 weeks of pregnancy may improve delivery outcomes, study suggests

The standard guidance on inducing labor in a healthy pregnancy has been to wait until 41 weeks of gestation, in part to avoid increasing the risk of a Caesarean section. A new study of 6,000 women, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that, unexpectedly, women who were induced at 39 weeks were less likely to need a C-section than those whose labor was not induced.

Democracy Dies in Darkness     Health Alert Aug 8, 5:01 PM     Inducing labor at 39 weeks of pregnancy may improve delivery outcomes, study suggests The standard guidance on inducing labor in a healthy pregnancy has been to wait until 41 weeks of gestation, in part to avoid increasing the risk of a Caesarean section. A new study of 6,000 women, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that, unexpectedly, women who were induced at 39 weeks were less likely to need a C-section than those whose labor was not induced. Read more » Advertisement You received this email because you signed up for news alerts from The Washington Post. Manage my newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Help ©2018 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071