On Sept.23rd, Shimshon Bolotin asked about the safety of not inducing a
woman who his full term and has experienced premature rupture of
membranes...

This is a frequent concern (should I say battle?!) for OB nurses...
I had discussed this matter with a Swedish nurse-midwife  I met last
June at the maternity researchers' conference in Norway. She just sent
me a wonderful uptodate research summary:
Ladfors, Lars (1998), Prelabour rupture of the membranes at or near
term. Clinical and epidemiological studies, Perinatal Center, Department
of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital,
Göteborg, Sweden.

To summarize this: they recommend inducing labour within 24 hours for
parous mothers and within 72 hours for first-time moms, when membranes
rupture at or near term. Their research has proven the safety of this
measure for moms and babies, if no digital examination (but only with
speculum) is performed, and strict perineal hygiene is respected. They
even allow baths...and no problems even with premature rupture.

They have published the results of four different studies in some
scientific periodicals such as British Journal of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology (August 1996), J. Perinatal Med. (in press), Acta
Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica (1996 and 1997).

Hope this helps you all fighting too much of invading technology... and
keep birth as normal as possible.
Louise Dumas


Louise Dumas, R.N., M.S.N., PhD
Professor-researcher in Nursing Sciences
University of Quebec in Hull
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