Obstetric outcome in uncomplicated prolonged pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To study and compare the obstetric outcome in term pregnancies and uncomplicated prolonged pregnancies. METHODS: The study was a retrospective review of 596 cases. The case notes of 286 patients with uncomplicated prolonged pregnancies (> or = 42 weeks) and 310 patients with normal term pregnancies (37 to < 42 weeks) were analyzed. The Gold Stat package was used for statistical coding and analysis. RESULTS: There was no fetal morbidity or mortality among the two groups. However, the number of previous abortions were significantly higher in prolonged pregnancies compared with term pregnancies. Similarly, fetal and placental weights, labor induction and operative delivery rates were significantly higher in prolonged pregnancies. However, there were no significant differences between the patients who were induced and those who had spontaneous labor among the prolonged pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: There is no doubt that prolonged pregnancy may be associated with certain risks factors. However, there is no outcome variable to justify whether or not to induce those pregnancies which are prolonged.

Elective induction of labor at term doing a lot to gain a little?

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