Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, Dr. Oshodi, said there are indications for induction of labour, adding that such factors must be established before such medical intervention is instituted.
He said, “The one that they are using now that you are not paying attention to is misoprostol. This one has more dangers because people have had their uterus ruptured because of using misoprostol to induce labour.
“It is very common in our environment. The drug is meant to help people to deliver the placenta after childbirth. It helps the womb contract and stops bleeding so that it won’t have postpartum haemorrhage. It is this same drug that people are using to procure an abortion.
“Some of them that had CS before will go and swallow this tablet just because they don’t want to have another CS. And they don’t care if they meet the condition that will merit them to use it.”
Dr. Oshodi, who is the Vice Chairman, Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, said induced labour is associated with a higher caesarean rate.
Giving insight into the dangers associated with such an act, he said, “So many of them have come to the hospital with a ruptured uterus. Some don’t survive it, while some of them are brought in dead with their babies.”
The maternal health expert said it is not everybody that goes into labour will deliver virginally, adding, “We do not interfere with labour. It is until the pregnancy reaches 41 weeks before we induce if labour does not start.”
In a 2017 article published in the Tropical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology titled, “Feto‑maternal outcome of induced versus spontaneous labour in a Nigerian Tertiary Maternity Unit”, the authors including Dr. Oshodi, concluded that induction of labour was associated with an increased risk of caesarean delivery and postpartum haemorrhage compared with spontaneous labour.
In the article, pregnant women were advised to avoid using anything that will affect them or their babies negatively while trying to induce labour.
According to Mayo Clinic, an online health portal, labour induction is artificially stimulating the uterus to contract during pregnancy before labour begins on its own for a vaginal birth.
It stated that healthcare providers might recommend inducing labour for various reasons, primarily when there’s a concern for the mother’s or baby’s health.
“An important factor in predicting whether an induction will succeed is how soft and expanded the cervix is (cervical ripening), the gestational age of the baby as confirmed by early, regular ultrasound is also important,” the site added.
The World Health Organisation, on its part, noted that labour induction is usually performed by administering oxytocin or prostaglandins to a pregnant woman or by manually rupturing the amniotic membranes.
WHO says induction of labour should be performed only when there is a clear medical indication for it and the expected benefits outweigh its potential harms.
However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says sometimes, labour induction does not work.
source: healthwise.punchng
