WHO studies link education and mortality; increased risks of inducing labour
Maternal education and mortality among women giving birth in health-care institutions
This analysis of the WHO Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health shows that lower levels of maternal education are associated with higher maternal mortality even among women able to access facilities providing intrapartum care. More attention should be given to the wider determinants of health when devising strategies to reduce maternal mortality.
Inducing labour increases risks for healthy pregnant women
This extensive study compared the outcomes of elective induction versus spontaneous onset of labour in almost 40 000 deliveries in Latin American women with low-risk pregnancies. The study found that women whose labour was artificially induced without medical justification were three times as likely to require anaesthesia during labour and/or to be admitted to intensive care. An increased risk of caesarean section and other medical interventions was also found.