Trends and outcomes associated with induction of labour

This program of research involves three retrospective studies.

Study 1: A retrospective population-based study was undertaken using routinely collected anonymised perinatal data from Queensland, Australia from January 2001 to December 2020. We included all singleton term (≥ 37 weeks) planned vaginal births. A total of 836,065 births met the study criteria. Data for pregnancy complications and IOL indications were grouped by ICD-10 codes. Analysis was stratified by parity and presented as frequency and percentages over time and the difference in percentages between two defined years.

Study 2: Aimed to compare differing methods of labour induction and cervical ripening to spontaneous onset of labour and assess the effect on birth outcomes.

Population-based cohort study using routinely collected data about women planning a vaginal birth with singleton, cephalic, term pregnancy in Queensland, Australia between July 2018 and December 2020. Birth outcome data stratified by nulliparous and multiparous women, with previous vaginal births, presented for each type of induction as unadjusted and adjusted odd ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Main outcome measure was caesarean section. (Publication under review)

Study 3: In this study we aim to assess maternal and infant outcomes associated with spontaneous onset VBAC compared to IOL types (with or without mechanical cervical ripening). The study will also explore the association between previous indications for VBAC, cervical dilation at initial caesarean section (CS), duration between initial CS and attempted VBAC and Bishop (or Calder) score at onset of labour (where available)  and VBAC success or cervical dilation at CS.

Lee, N., Ballard, E. & Humphrey, T. Trends in induction of labour and associated co-morbidities and demographics in Queensland, Australia from 2001 to 2020: a population-based study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 25, 354 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07379-5