Maternal and fetal outcomes of breast stimulation for augmentation/ induction of labor in term pregnancies

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The aim of this study is to show that nipple stimulation applied for labor induction/augmentation in term pregnant women has an active contribution to labor and at the same time, the level of pain felt by pregnant women during labor is significantly reduced. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted between July 1 2023 and February 1 2024 in the labor and delivery room of T.C. Sakarya University Research and Training Hospital. It was conducted with 110 patients with cervical dilatation between 3 cm and 4 cm, Bishop score <6, and insufficient uterine activity (<3 contractions in 10 minutes), who were admitted to the delivery for the purpose of initiating labor or labor. The contribution of nipple stimulation to labor was evaluated in patients. Membrane stripping was applied to 56 cases in the control group while 3 cycles of breast stimulation were applied to 54 cases in the study group in addition to membrane stripping. RESULTS: At the end of the first and second cycle in the breast stimulation group, the Bishop score was significantly higher than the control group (p=0.018 and p=0.031). The need for induction is less in the stimulation group than in the control group (p<0.001), and the VAS score also decreased significantly in the breast stimulation group (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Nipple stimulation has been observed to improve Bishop score, reduce the need for synthetic induction, reduce pain during active labor, and accelerate lactation. Nipple stimulation should be administered under supervision as it may cause fetal distress. Studies with larger case series should be conducted to standardize nipple stimulation application. Key Words: Induction, labor, membrane sweeping, nipple stimulation