C-section can be avoided when labor is induced at 30 weeks reducing the risk of other complication, according to a new study.

‘It is better to induce than to watch and wait. Inducing labor at 39 weeks showed healthier babies for first-time moms.’

There's long been uncertainty about what happens during that three-week timeframe. So USF researchers simulated patient outcomes by creating a rigorous mathematical model based on 100,000 patients, data collected by the National Institute of Health's Safe Labor Consortium. They found compared to elective induction at 39 weeks, waiting to induce labor until after 41 weeks resulted in increased:




- C-section rates (35.9 vs. 13.9 percent)
- Maternal complications, such as preeclampsia and uterine rupture (21.2 vs. 16.5 percent)
- Stillbirths (0.13 vs. 0 percent)
- Newborn deaths (0.25 vs. 0.12 percent)
- Severe neonatal complications, such as respiratory distress and shoulder dystocia (12.1 vs. 9.4 percent)
Source-Eurekalert