Drug-Induced Labor Increases Embolism Risk

A new study in Canada said drug-induced labor increases the chance for a very rare yet fatal delivery complication.

Researchers said inducing labor doubles a woman’s risk for developing amniotic-fluid embolism, a leading cause of delivery-related deaths for mothers, WebMD.com said. Researchers at Montreal’s McGill University and the Canadian Institute of Health Research studied more than 3 million Canadian hospital deliveries to learn more about this condition.

Michael S. Kramer, one of the study’s researchers, said the finding should give people pause when considering elective labor induction, WebMD.com said.

Labor also is induced for emergency medical reasons.

An amniotic-fluid embolism occurs when amniotic fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream, causing life-threatening respiratory distress, a drop in blood pressure and shock, WebMD.com said.

Researchers found 180 cases of amniotic-fluid embolism, of which two dozen were them fatal, or just under one death per 100,000 deliveries, WebMD.com said.

Other risk factors associated with the delivery complication included having diabetes, the age of the mother, and deliveries using a vacuum or forceps, WebMD.com said.