(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Inducing a pregnancy at 37 weeks, may be healthier
for some women and their babies.
About six percent of pregnancies are affected by gestational hypertension, also
known as high blood pressure, mild preeclampsia, and other hypertensive
disorders. A recent HYPITAT study, found women with these disorders should have
their labor induced once they reach 37 weeks, in an effort to reduce death in
mother or baby.
The study looked at 756 pregnant women in The Netherlands. All of the expectant
mothers were between 36 to 41 weeks and were pregnant with only one fetus. In
addition, all of the women were either experiencing high blood pressure or mild
preeclampsia. The women were put into two groups, either the induced labor
group, or expectant monitoring group. Researchers discovered women who were
induced had a 29 percent lower risk of developing poor maternal outcomes, such
as bleeding, severe high blood pressure, or death, than those who had expectant
monitoring. Women in the induction group were also found to need fewer caesarean
sections, than those in the expectant monitoring group. This additional finding
is important because women with previous caesarean section are at increased risk
of developing a uterus scar rupture in a future pregnancy, in addition to higher
caesarean risks in the future.
"The results of our trial are important for both developed countries in which
induction of labor in women with hypertensive disease beyond 36 weeks' gestation
has been controversial, and for developing countries in which maternal morbidity
and motility rates are substantially increased. Our finding that induction of
labor was associated with a reduced risk of severe hypertension and subsequent
reduced need for caesarean section, emphasized the importance of frequent blood
pressure monitoring during the concluding weeks of pregnancy," Dr. Corine M.
Koopmans, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Centre
Groningen, Netherlands, and colleagues, were quoted saying.
SOURCE: The Lancet, August 2009
