Amniotomy does not lead to shorter labor
By danotoyou2
January 22, 2008
Many hospitals and doctors still practice routine amniotomy (rupturing of the bag of waters) during labor, despite the fact that the evidence shows that it makes no difference. What we do know is that it puts the mother and baby at greater risk of infection, which concerns me. Hospitals should be doing everything they can to prevent infection, including keeping the membranes intact as long as possible.
On the basis of the findings of this review, we cannot recommend that amniotomy be introduced routinely as part of standard labor management and care. We do recommend that the evidence presented in this review be made available to women offered an amniotomy and suggest that it may be useful as a foundation for discussion and any resulting decisions made between women and their caregivers.
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