OBJECTIVE: Earlier studies have indicated a potential link between dilatation and curettage (D&C) and subsequent preterm delivery, possibly attributed to cervical damage. This study examines outcomes in pregnancies subsequent to first-trimester curettage with and without cervical dilatation.
METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on women who conceived after undergoing curettage due to a first trimester pregnancy loss. Maternal and neonatal outcomes of the subsequent pregnancy were compared between two groups: women who underwent cervical dilatation before their curettage and those who had curettage without dilatation. The primary outcome assessed was the rate of preterm delivery at the subsequent pregnancy, and secondary outcomes included other adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Univariate analysis was performed, followed by multiple logistic regression models to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS: Among the 1087 women meeting the inclusion criteria during the study period, 852 (78.4 %) underwent first-trimester curettage with cervical dilatation, while 235 (21.6 %) opted for curettage only. No significant maternal or neonatal different outcomes were noted between the study groups, including preterm delivery (5.5 % vs. 3.5 %, p = 0.16), fertility treatments, placental complications, and mode of delivery. However, deliveries following D&C were associated with higher rates of small for gestational age neonates (7.6 % vs. 3.8 %, p = 0.04). Multivariate analysis revealed that cervical dilation before curettage was not significantly linked to preterm delivery [adjusted odds ratio 0.64 (0.33-1.26), p = 0.20].
CONCLUSIONS: The use of cervical dilatation during a curettage procedure for first trimester pregnancy loss, does not confer additional risk of preterm delivery. Further studies are needed to reinforce and validate these results.

OBJECTIVE: Well-established clinical practice for assessing progress in labor involves routine abdominal palpation and vaginal examination (VE). However, VE is subjective, poorly reproducible and painful for most women. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the feasibility of systematically integrating transabdominal and transperineal ultrasound assessment of fetal position, parasagittal angle of progression (psAOP), head-perineum distance (HPD) and sonographic cervical dilatation (SCD) to monitor the progress of labor in women undergoing induction of labor (IOL). We also aimed to determine if ultrasound can reduce women\'s pain during such examinations.
METHODS: Women were recruited as they presented for IOL in three maternity units. Ultrasound assessments were performed in 100 women between 37 + 0 and 41 + 6 weeks\' gestation. A baseline combined transabdominal and transperineal scan was performed, including assessment of fetal biometry, umbilical artery and fetal middle cerebral artery Doppler, amniotic fluid index, fetal spine and occiput positions, psAOP, HPD, SCD and cervical length. Intrapartum scans were performed instead of VE, unless there was a clinical indication to perform a VE, according to protocol. Participants were asked to indicate their level of pain by verbally giving a pain score between 0 and 10 (with 0 representing no pain) during assessment. Repeated measures data were analyzed using mixed-effect models to identify significant factors that affected the relationship between psAOP, HPD, SCD and mode of delivery.
RESULTS: A total of 100 women were included in the study. Of these, 20% delivered by Cesarean section, 65% vaginally and 15% by instrumental delivery. There were no adverse fetal or maternal outcomes. A total of 223 intrapartum ultrasound scans were performed in 87 participants (13 women delivered before intrapartum ultrasound was performed), with a median of two scans per participant (interquartile range (IQR), 1-3). Of these, 76 women underwent a total of 151 VEs with a median of one VE per participant (IQR, 0-2), with no significant difference between vaginal- or Cesarean-delivery groups. After excluding those with epidural anesthesia during examination, the median pain score for intrapartum scans was 0 (IQR, 0-1) and for VE it was 3 (IQR, 0-6). Cesarean delivery was significantly associated with a slower rate of change in psAOP, HPD and SCD.
CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive transabdominal and transperineal ultrasound assessment can be used to assess progress in labor and can reduce the level of pain experienced during examination. Ultrasound assessment may be able to replace some transabdominal and vaginal examinations during labor. © 2024 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of transvaginal cerclage in twin pregnancies with cervical shortening, and to narrow the threshold cervical length for transvaginal cerclage.
METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study and 177 twin pregnancies with asymptomatic cervical dilatation or cervical length of 15 mm or less between 16+0 and 25+6 weeks of pregnancy were included. Patients independently chose either transvaginal cerclage (n = 129) or no cerclage treatment (n = 48) after being consulted on the risk and potential benefit of transvaginal cerclage. The primary outcome measures were gestational age at delivery and neonatal survival rate.
RESULTS: Compared with the no cerclage group, the cerclage group exhibited a higher gestational age at delivery (32.1 ± 4.5 vs 28.3 ± 6.2 weeks, P < 0.001) and a higher neonatal survival rate (86.4% vs 47.9%, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that in twin pregnancies with cervical dilatation or cervical length less than 10 mm, the cerclage group had significantly higher gestational age at delivery (31.3 ± 4.6 vs 23.4 ± 4.3 weeks, P < 0.001) and a higher neonatal survival rate (123 [85.4%] vs 4 [9.1%], P < 0.001) than the no cerclage group, but in twins when cervical length was 10-15 mm, the two measures were similar between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Transvaginal cerclage may provide benefits for twins when cervical dilatation or cervical length is less than 10 mm, but its efficacy might not extend to twins when the cervical length is 10-15 mm. Further evidence is needed to confirm the efficacy of transvaginal cerclage for twin pregnancies with a short cervix.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing trend of Caesarean section rate in Malaysia. Limited evidence demonstrated the benefits of changing the demarcation of the active phase of labour.
METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 3980 singletons, term pregnancy, spontaneous labouring women between 2015 and 2019 comparing outcomes between those with cervical dilation of 4 versus 6 cm at diagnosis of the active phase of labour.
RESULTS: A total of 3403 (85.5%) women had cervical dilatation of 4 cm, and 577 (14.5%) at 6 cm upon diagnosis of the active phase of labour. Women in 4 cm group were significantly heavier at delivery (p = 0.015) but significantly more multiparous women were in 6 cm group (p < 0.001). There were significantly fewer women in the 6 cm group who needed oxytocin infusion (p < 0.001) and epidural analgesia (p < 0.001) with significantly lower caesarean section rate (p < 0.001) done for fetal distress and poor progress (p < 0.001 both). The mean duration from diagnosis of the active phase of labour until delivery was significantly shorter in the 6 cm group (p < 0.001) with lighter mean birth weight (p = 0.019) and fewer neonates with arterial cord pH < 7.20 (p = 0.047) requiring neonatal intensive care unit admissions (p = 0.01). Multiparity (AOR = 0.488, p < 0.001), oxytocin augmentation (AOR = 0.487, p < 0.001) and active phase of labour diagnosed at 6 cm (AOR = 0.337, p < 0.001) reduced the risk of caesarean delivery. Caesarean delivery increased the risk of neonatal intensive care admission by 27% (AOR = 1.73, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Active phase of labour at 6 cm cervical dilatation is associated with reduced primary caesarean delivery rate, labour intervention, shorter labour duration and fewer neonatal complications.

This study aimed to compare the effect of misoprostol using vaginal or sublingual routes on the non-pregnant uterine cervix prior to minor gynaecological procedures. One hundred and forty women were randomised 1:1 into two groups: A and B. Group A received misoprostol 400 mcg vaginally and pyridoxine 40 mg sublingually and Group B received misoprostol 400 mcg sublingually and pyridoxine 40 mg vaginally 4 h prior to procedure. The outcomes studied were maximum size of Hegar\'s dilator that could be inserted into the cervix without any resistance, ease of dilatation, need and time required for further dilatation, side effects and complications. Baseline cervical dilatation was significantly more in Group A than Group B. Need for further dilatation and time required for further dilatation were also significantly less in Group A than Group B. Thus, we conclude that vaginal misoprostol is more effective than sublingual misoprostol in cervical priming before minor gynaecological procedures. Clinical Trial Registration Number: www.ctri.nic.in; CTRI/2018/07/015080 IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Cervical priming has been shown to result in shorter operative time, easier mechanical dilatation, reduced incidence of complications and blood loss when used prior to surgical abortion and has been recommended as a standard practice in various national and international guidelines for safe abortion practices. Misoprostol has many advantages over other ripening agents like osmotic dilators, other prostaglandins and mifepristone. Misoprostol can be given through oral, sublingual, vaginal, buccal and rectal routes. Use of misoprostol has been found to improve cervical dilatation, reduce need of further dilatation and ease of dilatation without many complications when compared to placebo for cervical priming of non-pregnant cervix. Studies comparing vaginal and sublingual routes have shown no significant difference for cervical ripening in pregnant women.What the results of this study add? We found that vaginal misoprostol for cervical priming was more effective than sublingual misoprostol in reaching a higher baseline cervical dilatation, with reduced need and time required for further dilatation before minor gynaecological procedures, although the ease of dilatation was similar in both groups. This effect of vaginal misoprostol was more marked in premenopausal women.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The results of our study are at variance with other studies done on use of misoprostol via the vaginal or sublingual routes, and hence it is imperative that large multi-center studies be performed to bring about consensus on the topic.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between cervical dilatation at hospital admission and mode of delivery.
METHODS: A cohort study with data from a cluster-randomised controlled trial, the Labour Progression Study. The study population of 6511 nulliparous women with a singleton fetus in cephalic presentation with spontaneous onset of labour at term, was divided into two groups: <4 cm and ≥ 4 cm cervical dilatation on admission. Binary logistic regression comparing mode of delivery was used to estimate crude and adjusted OR with associated 95% CI.
RESULTS: Of the total study population, 56.7% were admitted with < 4 cm cervical dilatation and 43.3% with ≥ 4 cm. Women admitted with ≥ 4 cm had a significantly higher chance of spontaneous delivery, with adjusted OR of 1.28 (95% CI: 1.14-1.44), and a significantly lower risk of caesarean sections, with an adjusted OR of 0.51 (95% CI: 0.41-0.64). For operative vaginal delivery, there were no significant difference between the study groups. Intrapartum interventions as epidural analgesia and augmentation with oxytocin were lower among women admitted with ≥ 4 cm cervical dilatation.
CONCLUSIONS: The study found a significantly higher chance of spontaneous delivery among women admitted with ≥ 4 cm. More research is needed to investigate why so many women are admitted early in labour, and how these women can be better cared for to increase their chances of a spontaneous delivery.

Cervical status has a great impact on the duration and success of its dilatation especially during hysteroscopy, so cervical ripening employed before the procedure can increase the success rate and minimize the complications.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of vaginal misoprostol and intracervical normal saline infiltration as cervical ripening agents.
METHODS: A randomized comparative clinical trial had been conducted in AL Yarmouk Teaching Hospital involving two methods for cervical ripening before the hysteroscopic procedure. One Hundred women were enrolled in the study, fifty of them were those who used preoperative vaginal misoprostol and the other fifty patients were those who had been submitted to intracervical normal saline infiltration during surgery. Basal cervical dilatation, time to achieve 8 mm cervical dilatation, difficulties, and complications encountered during the procedure were evaluated and compared for both groups.
RESULTS: The participants had been admitted for hysteroscopy for the following indications: Abnormal uterine bleeding, missed loop, infertility, polypectomy, endometrial resection, and myomectomy. Regarding operative findings, the basal cervical dilatation was not significantly different between them, the time required to achieve the required dilatation was significantly shorter for the normal saline infiltration group, 66.95 sec. ± 10.85 than for the misoprostol group which was 87.9 sec. ± 13.11. There was more difficulty in dilatation with more complications in the misoprostol group than in the normal saline infiltration group.
CONCLUSIONS: Normal saline infiltration is a simple, readily available at the time of surgery and with fewer complications and shorter time of dilatation in comparison to vaginal misoprostol for a comparable efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of hyoscine-N-butylbromide on the duration of the first stage of labor among nulliparous women.
METHODS: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study among 126 nulliparous women admitted in the active phase of labor to a teaching hospital in Sagamu, Nigeria, from January to August 2018. Based on the inclusion criteria, women were recruited and randomized to the study or control group, and given intravenous hyoscine-N-butylbromide 20 mg (1 mL) or sterile water (1 mL), respectively, during the active phase. Labor progress and outcomes were compared between the groups.
RESULTS: The mean ± SD duration of active phase of first stage of labor was significantly shorter in the hyoscine-N-butylbromide group (324.9 ± 134.6 min) than in the control group (392.7 ± 119.6 min) (P = 0.004). The rate of cervical dilatation was 1.4 ± 0.8 cm/h in the hyoscine-N-butylbromide group and 1.0 ± 0.5 cm/h in the control group (P = 0.004). There were no significant differences in fetal heart rate, maternal vital signs, or Apgar scores between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Hyoscine-N-butylbromide was found to be effective in shortening the duration of the first stage of labor without adverse outcomes for mother or neonate. The trial was registered with the Pan African Clinical trials Registry (PACTR), protocol number: PACTR201808146688942 (https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=3532).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, reliability, and agreement of serial transperineal ultrasound (TPU) assessment of fetal head station (parasagittal angle of progression [psAOP], head-perineum distance [HPD], and head-symphysis distance [HSD]) and sonographic cervical dilatation (SCD), compared to fetal head station and cervical dilatation determined by vaginal examination, respectively.
METHODS: This was a prospective longitudinal study in singleton pregnancies undergoing induction of labor at term. Paired assessment of fetal head station and cervical dilatation by vaginal examination, with TPU assessment of psAOP, HPD, HSD, and SCD was made serially. Feasibility, correlation, reliability, and agreement were determined.
RESULTS: 1,139 paired measurements among 326 women were included. psAOP and HPD were achievable in all assessments. HSD was not achievable in 3.4% (11/326) due to high fetal head station. Fetal head station by vaginal examination was positively correlated with psAOP (rho = 0.70) but negatively correlated with HPD (rho = -0.57) and HSD (rho = -0.52). The feasibility to measure SCD reduced as cervical dilatation increased. Cervical dilatation and SCD were positively correlated (rho = 0.96) with strong agreement (concordant correlation coefficient = 0.925).
CONCLUSIONS: Measurements of psAOP and HPD are feasible and correlate significantly with fetal head station by vaginal examination. Measurement of HSD is not feasible when fetal head station is high. Measurement of SCD is feasible, but it is more difficult in the advanced stage of labor. The correlation, reliability, and agreement between SCD and cervical dilatation by vaginal examination are high.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to examine the association between the first assessed cervical dilatation in a labourward and the use of oxytocin augmentation during labour. Further analysis was performed by examining the actual stage of labour at the point oxytocin was first administered to those women.
METHODS: Retrospective cohort study with the data collected from the medical records of the hospital.
METHODS: University Hospital Bern, Switzerland PARTICIPANTS: 1933 term nulliparous and multiparous women with a singleton pregnancy giving birth during the period June 2013 and May 2017, representing Robson groups 1 and 3.
RESULTS: Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were performed. It was found that for the entire process of labour, nulliparous and multiparous women (n = 1933) with a first cervical dilatation of 5 or more cm were less likely to be augmented with oxytocin (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.46; 0.88 and OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.38; 0.82, respectively) compared to women with a first cervical dilatation of less than 5 cm. Out of these augmented women (n = 746) having a first cervical dilatation of 5 or more cm, they had a lower likelihood of being augmented during the first stage of labour compared to women with a first cervical dilatation of less than 5 cm (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.29; 0.7 for nulliparae and OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.16; 0.6 for multiparae). Additionally, it was observed that other factors contributed to the application of oxytocin. One such example was that epidural analgesia was associated with a high risk of oxytocin augmentation in nulliparae (OR 13.88, 95% CI 9.29; 20.74) and multiparae (OR 15.52, 95% CI 9.94; 24.22). The application of oxytocin was also found to affect the caesarean section rate in nulliparous and multiparous women as it was 20% and 13% respectively for those with oxytocin versus 13% and 4% respectively for those without oxytocin.
CONCLUSIONS: Early admission to the labourward is associated with an increased use of oxytocin to augment labour, particularly, during the first stage of labour. Epidural analgesia is a main predictor for oxytocin augmentation in nulliparous and multiparous women.
CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women warrant more appropriate support during early labour, avoiding early maternal exhaustion and excessive obstetrical interventions.