Abstract:

Background: Induction of labor (IOL) refers to the iatrogenic stimulation of uterine contractions before the onset of spontaneous labor as a therapeutic option when benefits of expeditious delivery outweigh the risks of continuing the pregnancy. This includes women with intact membranes and women with spontaneous rupture membranes but who are not in labor. The different methods used for Induction of labor are mechanical, surgical and pharmacological. Induction of labor includes a pre induction pre-induction Bishop’s assessment, of which scores of seven and above indicate a favorable cervix and scores less than seven indicates an unfavorable cervix.

Methodology: This was a retrospective hospital based cross sectional study conducted from January 2022 to July 2022, at Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza involving 120 pregnant women. All who met the inclusion criteria with indications of Induction of Labor were included in the study. The variables of interest included sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric history, indications for Induction of Labor and maternal outcomes. Data was collected by means of a structured checklist, data cleaning was followed by analysis using SPSS software version 20. Demographic data and categorical variables were summarized into frequencies, means, standard deviations and proportions. Data were presented in tables.
 
Results: The total number of deliveries during the study period was 3,235 out of which total of 120 women underwent Induction of Labor, this gave a rate for Induction of Labor of 2.3%. Mean maternal age was 28.72 (SD 5.47) years and the median gestational age was 38.76 (28-42) completed weeks. The main indications for induction of labor were post-term pregnancy 60 (50%), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy 38 (31.7%), premature rupture of membranes 21(17.5%). Out of these women, 74 (61.7%)had spontaneous vaginal delivery and 46 (38.3%) had emergency caesarean section deliveries. The majority of mothers 116(96.7%) in the study had no complications, 3(2.5%) had PPH and 1(0.8%) had retained placenta, there was no death. Mean induction delivery interval was 16.00 (SD 11.15 hours).

Conclusion: As there were few obstetric complications, induction of labor is both safe and beneficial. The majority of indications at Bugando were post-dated pregnancy and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.