Related Experiment Videos
Membrane sweeping for induction of labour
1Unité de Développement en Obstétrique, Maternité Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Département de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique, Boulevard de la Cluse, 32, Geneva 14, Switzerland, CH-1211. michel.boulvain@hcuge.ch
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|January 28, 2005
Summary
Membrane sweeping, a method to initiate labor, may reduce pregnancy duration but causes discomfort. Routine use from 38 weeks offers no significant benefits, while induction use requires balancing benefits against adverse effects.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Reproductive Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Membrane sweeping is a simple outpatient procedure to potentially induce labor.
- It involves detaching fetal membranes from the lower uterine segment to stimulate prostaglandin production.
- This method aims to reduce pregnancy duration or avoid formal labor induction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effects of membrane sweeping for labor induction in the third trimester.
- To compare membrane sweeping with placebo/no treatment and other labor induction methods.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 22 clinical trials involving 2797 women.
- Searched Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register and relevant bibliographies.
- Employed a two-stage data extraction strategy for complex labor induction data.
Main Results:
- Membrane sweeping reduced pregnancy duration and post-term pregnancies (beyond 41 and 42 weeks).
- Eight women needed sweeping to avoid one formal induction; caesarean section rates were similar.
- Adverse effects included discomfort, bleeding, and irregular contractions; no increased infection risk was noted.
Conclusions:
- Routine membrane sweeping from 38 weeks shows no clinically significant benefits.
- When used for induction, benefits must be weighed against maternal discomfort and adverse effects.
- Limited evidence supports sweeping over prostaglandin administration for induction.