Analysis of labor induction in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Induction of labour (IOL) is a very common labour room procedure. Although labor is a natural physiological process, deliberate intervention in the form of induction may be required in many instances. It is needed in almost 20% of pregnant women for a variety of indications. The objective is to evaluate indications, different methods, and feto-maternal outcome of induced labour in tertiary care hospital.Methods: This was a retrospective study of IOL conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, Shri Guru Ram Rai institute of medical and health sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Women who underwent IOL beyond 28 weeks gestation with single cephalic presentation with no contraindication for vaginal birth were included in the study. Statistical analysis was done with Microsoft excel.Results: A total of 1532 women delivered in the hospital during the study period. Among them, 498 women were induced (32.5%). Most common method of induction was misoprostol (40.36%) followed by prostaglandin E2 gel (26.90%). Out of 498 inductions, 377 women delivered vaginally making success of induction around 75.70%. Among them, 335 women had normal delivery (67.26%) and 42 women required instrumental delivery (8.4%) and 121 women underwent lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) (24.29%).Conclusions: Elective inductions of labor in properly selected indications at optimized timings aid in achieving a favorable maternal and fetal outcome. Methods of inductions, timing and intrapartum monitoring plays an important role in influencing obstetric outcome