The Effectiveness of Membrane Sweeping at Term and Clinical Effects on Duration of Pregnancy

Abstract

Background The causes of post-dates births are unknown, but they are more likely when a woman has experienced a previous post-dates birth. She can be at an increased risk for vaginal trauma and Caesarean section in a post-term pregnancy due to the size of the baby. Objective: We conducted this study to find the effectiveness of sweeping of membranes in term pregnancy to avert post-term pregnancy. Methods A comparative cross sectional study was carried out in tertiary care hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Results Total 120 patients who underwent stretch and sweep of membranes required less traditional induction of labour. About 106 patients went into spontaneous labor and effectiveness was found 88.3%. No significant side effects of sweeping of membranes including heavy bleeding and leaking of amniotic fluid were noted. Only discomfort associated with vaginal examination was found in majority of women . Conclusions There was a significant reduction in the need for traditional induction of labour as higher success rate of sweeping of membranes was noted for intiation of labour. Discomfort during vaginal examination was most significant side effect during study.