In a recent study published in the journal PLoS ONE , researchers investigate the association between excessive weight gain during pregnancy and the subsequent risk of prolonged labor or comorbid complications during delivery in Japanese women. Study: Maternal excessive weight gain as a potential risk factor for prolonged labor in Japanese pregnant women: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study . Image Credit: aslysn / Shutterstock.
com Prolonged labor, which is colloquially known as failure to progress, is a suboptimal and often dangerous pattern of labor wherein the delivery of the infant progresses at a very slow pace. This condition can result in labor halting indefinitely at either the first or second stage of labor and can have severe and long-term consequences for the mother and infant, including death. Despite affecting only 8% of all pregnant women, incidences of prolonged labor are rising globally, with the condition representing one of the most common labor complications in the world.
While decades of research have explored different approaches that can be used to accelerate labor to minimize clinical harm to the mother and her newborn, few studies have identified the risk factors associated with prolonged labor. Nulliparity, the use of regional anesthesia, older maternal age, high birth weight, smaller maternal stature, and excessive maternal weight gain may increase the risk of prolonged labor. In particular, excessive maternal weight gain has been evaluated .
