Oversight of elective early term deliveries: avoiding unintended consequences

The national movement to eliminate elective delivery at <39 weeks' gestation has engendered much enthusiasm and is a major step forward in the evolution of perinatal patient safety. Our experience with >1 million births in the past 5 years suggests the existence of a number of potential pitfalls that should be considered in policy development, enforcement, and compliance monitoring. Attention to these details will ensure continued patient benefit from these policies without endangering those fetuses in whom early term delivery is warranted medically.