Does induction of labor cause cesareans?
The old answer was yes. The correct comparison says otherwise.
No, once you compare induction with the real alternative of continuing the pregnancy rather than with spontaneous labor. In the ARRIVE trial, cesarean occurred in 18.6% of the induction group and 22.2% of those who waited.
Where this comes from:
184. Grobman WA, Rice MM, Reddy UM, Tita ATN, Silver RM, Mallett G, et al. Labor induction versus expectant management in low-risk nulliparous women. N Engl J Med. 2018;379(6):513-523.
185. Middleton P, Shepherd E, Morris J, Crowther CA, Gomersall JC. Induction of labour at or beyond 37 weeks' gestation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;(7):CD004945.
186. Danilack VA, Triche EW, Dore DD, Muri JH, Phipps MG, Savitz DA. Comparing expectant management and spontaneous labor approaches in studying the effect of labor induction on cesarean delivery. Ann Epidemiol. 2016;26(6):405-410.
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