Elective induction of labour: a controlled study.

The objective of this paper is to assess the safety of elective induction, particularly with regard to fetal hazards. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of using a control group in order to obtain a meaningful comparison with patients whose labour commenced spontaneously. Two hundred and thirteen consecutive cases of electively induced labour are compared with 213 consecutive controls. The two groups are scrutinized with regard to their similarity in all respects save that of induction. Their performance in labour is documented. The perinatal and maternal complications are presented and discussed. No evidence of added risk for induced patients is found in this series.