Pregnant women will be offered an induction at one week overdue to cut risk of stillbirth

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Aneira Davies

Contributor

The new guidelines sets out plans to induce pregnant women at 41 weeks if they go over their due date.

Pregnant women who go over their due date are to be offered an induction at 41 weeks, in new medical guidelines set out to cut the risk of stillbirth.

Under the current rules, women who do not go into labour naturally by 42 weeks are offered an induction to bring on labour, but this is set to be brought forward by one week, to cut the risk of death and complications.

Babies are due at around 40 weeks and, currently, around one in five labours are induced.

The NHS guidelines state that pregnancies that continue beyond 41 weeks are at ‘increased likelihood of Caesarean birth, increased likelihood of the baby needing admission to a neonatal intensive care unit and increased likelihood of stillbirth and neonatal death'.

However, the guidelines added that there is not enough evidence currently to support a blanket policy in favour of inducing pregnancies at 41 weeks and that women should be able to discuss all of their options with midwives.

According to the Daily Mail, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said discussing induction at an earlier stage with mothers-to-be is likely to ‘increase the number of women who undergo induction’, but were adamant that the decision on whether or not to be induced was up to each individual.

Women who do not choose to have an induction should be given the option to have additional fetal monitoring from 42 weeks instead, the guidelines added.

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But it’s not the only campaign to change current guidelines on when labour should be induced.

Earlier proposals stated that women at risk of pregnancy complications should be offered an induction from 39 weeks.

The draft guidelines, which were published in May, recommended that women from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, as well as those who are obese and those over 35, should be offered an induction from 39 weeks.

However, this recommendation was scrapped in the final guidelines, a welcome move by campaigners who told the Daily Mail that ‘one size does not fit all’.

Elizabeth Duff, senior policy advisor at the National Childbirth Trust, said: 'It's good news that NICE has dropped its draft proposal to offer induction at 39 weeks of pregnancy to groups at higher risk of complications, including Black, Asian and minority ethnic women. 

'This followed NCT and other bodies representing maternity service users pointing out the lack of evidence to support such a recommendation. It's positive that voices have been heard and action taken.'

Meanwhile, Sarah Siguine, from pregnancy charity Tommy’s, said: ‘With almost 5,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths a year in the UK, this new guidance is a welcome step forward in efforts to change these unacceptable statistics and save babies’ lives. 

‘Earlier induction of labour could play an important part in reducing the risks for some of the most vulnerable families, alongside other things we already know make pregnancy safer, like having the same midwife throughout the journey to parenthood with ongoing risk assessments and frequent check-ups if needed. 

'Mothers should always get a clear explanation of why they’re being offered induction, and be supported to compare the risks and benefits, so it’s reassuring that NICE guidelines emphasise the importance of such open communication and decision-making.’

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