Laminaria Tents Versus Vaginal Prostaglandin in Cervical Ripening

Laminaria Tents Versus Vaginal Prostaglandin in Cervical Ripening in Term Induction of Labor With Unfavorable Cervix:A Randomized Controlled Trial

Mechanical methods used for induction of labor received a great attention nowadays due to the serious side effects of the pharmacological methods. Hygroscopic dilators are considered important subtype of these mechanical methods. One of them is Laminaria which is a synthetic type of sea algae that induces cervical dilation by absorbing water from the cervix and gradually increasing in thickness. The current study will compare the effectiveness and safety of laminiria and vaginal prostaglandins in induction of labor in women with unfavorable cervix.

A new method for induction of labor to be studied

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women with:

  • Age 18-45 years.
  • Live fetus with cephalic presentation.
  • Normal non-stress test with reassuring features (baseline heart rate 110-160 beats/min, baseline variability 5-25 beats/minute, and no decelerations) (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2017).
  • Gestational age of 37 weeks or more (Middleton et al. 2020).
  • Fetal weight less than 4 kilograms.
  • Bishop score less than 6 (Navve et al. 2017).
  • No labor pains.
  • No contraindications for vaginal delivery

Exclusion Criteria:

• o Presence of fetal distress.

  • Presence of thick meconium-stained amniotic fluid
  • Presence of fever, chorioamnionitis, or vaginal bleeding before intervention.