Glucose supplements may accelerate induced labour: study

Adding glucose to the intravenous hydration solution women receive during childbirth could reduce the duration of induced labour by up to 76 minutes on average, a new study has found.
Prolonged labour can be harmful to maternal and foetal health. Few medical interventions are known to shorten labour duration.
Since muscle performance is known to be improved by glucose supplementation, researchers at University of Sherbrooke in Canada tested whether adding glucose to the intravenous hydration solution women receive during labour could accelerate labour.
Two hundred pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive either a standard hydration solution containing salt and water or a solution containing glucose, salt and water.

The study investigated the use of glucose to shorten induced labour in women giving birth for the first time.
"We found that the median duration of labour was 76 minutes shorter in the group of women receiving glucose. There was no difference in the mode of delivery - cesarean section, forceps - or the neonatal well-being measures," said Josianne Pare from the University of Sherbrooke.
"Glucose supplementation therefore significantly reduces the total length of labour without increasing the rate of complication. This is great news for women experiencing induced labour," said Pare.
The researchers also said that given the low-cost and safety of this intervention, glucose should be the solute of choice during labour.