Glucose Supplementation Reduces the Length of Induced Labor

A simple glucose supplementation can reduce the length of induced labor, finds a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

This study was initially presented two weeks ago at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting.

A research team from the Universite de Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada found that the length of induced labor was reduced following the addition of parenteral dextrose solution.

‘Glucose supplementation can be a choice for reducing the length of induced labor.’

The research study mainly investigated the use of glucose to reduce the induced labor in nulliparous (giving birth for the first time). The total length of active labor was studied.

Prolonged labor can be harmful to maternal and fetal health. Few medical interventions are known to shorten labor duration. Because muscle performance is known to be improved by glucose supplementation, the researchers tested whether adding glucose to the intravenous hydration solution women receive during labor could accelerate labor. Two hundred pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive either a standard hydration solution containing salt and water or a solution containing glucose, salt and water.

Josianne Pare, M.D., with the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Sherbrooke and the presenter of the research at the SMFM annual meeting, explained, "We found that the median duration of labor was 76 minutes shorter in the group of women receiving glucose. There was no difference in the mode of delivery (cesarean section, forceps, etc.), or the neonatal well-being measures." Pare continued, "Glucose supplementation therefore significantly reduces the total length of labor without increasing the rate of complication. This is great news for women experiencing induced labor."

The researchers concluded that, given the low-cost and safety of this intervention, glucose should be the solute of choice during labor.



Source: Eurekalert