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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Labor Management Through Electromyometrial Imaging for Understanding Uterine Contractions
Published on: May 26, 2023
Second stage of labor
Yvonne W Cheng1, Aaron B Caughey
1*Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California †Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
Abstract:
Current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' definition of prolonged second stage diagnoses 10% to 14% of nulliparous and 3% to 3.5% of multiparous women as having a prolonged second stage. The progression of labor in modern obstetrics may have deviated from the current labor norms established in the 1950s, likely due to differences in obstetric population characteristics and variation in clinical practice. Optimal management of the second stage in women with and without epidural remains debatable. Although prolonged second stage is associated with increased risk of maternal morbidity, conflicting data exist regarding the duration of second stage and associated neonatal morbidity and mortality.
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