Changing rates for the induction of labor over the last five decades in a tertiary center

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the changing rates for induction of labor, induction failure and obstetric characteristics of patients over the decades in a tertiary center. The data on labor inductions were retrospectively evaluated. The cases were divided into five groups: Group 1 (1976, n = 62), group 2 (1986, n = 104), group 3 (1996, n = 81), group 4 (2006, n=120) and group 5 (2016, n = 379). The rates of the induction cases, deliveries with labor induction among deliveries at ≥37th gestational week, primiparous induction cases, induction failure, the mean maternal age, gestational week at birth and birth weight were compared between the groups. The percentages of induction cases among the total number of deliveries for each year were 2.3% in group 1, 4.3% in group 2, 4.6% in group 3, 6.9% in group 4 and 20.2% in group 5, respectively (p<0.001). The rates of labor induction for deliveries at ≥ 37th gestational week were 2.4% in group 1, 4.7% in group 2, 5.4% in group 3, 8.5% in group 4 and 22.1% in group 5, respectively (p<0.001). Statistically significant differences were found between the groups for the number of primiparous induction cases, the rate of induction failure, mean maternal age, gestational week at birth and birth weight (p values were <0.001 for all). The frequency of labor induction has increased at our clinic with application at earlier gestational weeks and there have been higher induction failure rates over the decades.