Station in early labor in nulliparous women at term

Several authors of standard obstetric texts state that engagement occurs before the onset of labor in a majority of nulliparas at term, and failure of the fetal head to engage in early labor is a greater indicator for operative birth. A pilot clinical descriptive study was done at University Hospital, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, in Newark to examine the birth outcomes of nulliparous women who arrived in early labor with an unengaged vertex presentation at term. For the study, 146 births were reviewed, and data from 101 vertex deliveries that met the study's criteria were compiled to test this hypothesis. The study results showed that in approximately 31% of the nulliparas, the fetal head was engaged. The incidence of the unengaged vertex in early labor in nulliparous women who met the study's criteria was found to be 69%. This factor alone did not predict birth outcome.