C Bique1, A Bugalho, S Bergström. 1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Central Hospital, Maputo, Mozambique.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Grand multiparous women in poor and under-privileged settings run a high risk of uterine rupture at labor induction. The purpose was to elucidate whether vaginal misoprostol medication is a safe and cost-effective alternative induction method in grand multiparous women, in whom, under prevailing circumstances, induction by oxytocin is associated with high risk of adverse maternal outcome of pregnancy. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-five grand multiparous parturient women with five or more previous deliveries were divided into two groups. The first group (n=134) had the fetus alive and the second (n=31) had late intrauterine fetal death. Both groups were subject to induction of labor by use of vaginal misoprostol in a dose of 50 microg (live fetus) and 100 microg (intrauterine fetal death). No additional oxytocin was utilised. RESULTS: Labor induction by vaginal misoprostol was successful in grand multiparous women. The proportion of women requiring a Cesarean section was 6.0%, which is less than one third of the average Cesarean section rate in the setting studied. Women with fetus alive had significantly shorter application-to-expulsion interval (AEI) than women with fetal death (10.1 versus 15.4 hours; p=0.039). Significantly shorter AEI was recorded in women with prelabor rupture of membranes (9.1 hours) than in women with intact membranes (12.9 hours) (p=0.01). With Bishop's score > or = 5 and < 5 AEI was 8.7 hours and 14.4 hours, respectively (p=0.001). No significantly adverse neonatal or maternal outcomes of pregnancy were registered and it was specifically noted that no uterine rupture occurred among the 165 grand multiparous women induced. CONCLUSIONS: Induction of under-privileged grand multiparous women with live fetus or with fetal death can be performed safely and cost-effectively by vaginal misoprostol.
BACKGROUND: Grand multiparous women in poor and under-privileged settings run a high risk of uterine rupture at labor induction. The purpose was to elucidate whether vaginal misoprostol medication is a safe and cost-effective alternative induction method in grand multiparous women, in whom, under prevailing circumstances, induction by oxytocin is associated with high risk of adverse maternal outcome of pregnancy. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-five grand multiparous parturient women with five or more previous deliveries were divided into two groups. The first group (n=134) had the fetus alive and the second (n=31) had late intrauterine fetal death. Both groups were subject to induction of labor by use of vaginal misoprostol in a dose of 50 microg (live fetus) and 100 microg (intrauterine fetal death). No additional oxytocin was utilised. RESULTS: Labor induction by vaginal misoprostol was successful in grand multiparous women. The proportion of women requiring a Cesarean section was 6.0%, which is less than one third of the average Cesarean section rate in the setting studied. Women with fetus alive had significantly shorter application-to-expulsion interval (AEI) than women with fetal death (10.1 versus 15.4 hours; p=0.039). Significantly shorter AEI was recorded in women with prelabor rupture of membranes (9.1 hours) than in women with intact membranes (12.9 hours) (p=0.01). With Bishop's score > or = 5 and < 5 AEI was 8.7 hours and 14.4 hours, respectively (p=0.001). No significantly adverse neonatal or maternal outcomes of pregnancy were registered and it was specifically noted that no uterine rupture occurred among the 165 grand multiparous women induced. CONCLUSIONS: Induction of under-privileged grand multiparous women with live fetus or with fetal death can be performed safely and cost-effectively by vaginal misoprostol.