In 2013, a study was published that set off all alarms. Given the increase in cases of autism in children, it was wanted to investigate whether the way of birth could be related to this disorder and it was concluded that children born by induced labor could have a higher risk of autism. Although it became clear that more research was lacking to establish a cause and effect, fear was installed in many women when it came to accepting or not an induced labor.
Given the restlessness it has caused, research has continued and now, three years later, a new study has been published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics that silence the alarms. According to this research, conducted with more than one million babies, labor induction does not increase the risk of autism in the baby.
When labor induction is necessary
The natural, and therefore the most convenient, is that the delivery is triggered spontaneously, when the baby decides to be born, the baby decides to be born. Staying active, walking, dancing are activities that favor pelvic sway and help soften the cervix. For its part, gently stimulate the nipples and have sex (provided it is not contraindicated) secretes the hormone oxytocin that stimulates uterine contractions.
But natural methods do not always work and induction should be used, either because the birth date has passed or because there is a risk to the mother or the baby (gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, etc.).
However, artificial induction of labor by means of synthetic hormones such as prostaglandin gels and / or oxytocin it is not without risks and entails greater probabilities of ending up in an instrumental or caesarean delivery, so should be limited to certain medical indications.
Results of the new study
The research consisted of monitoring more than one million babies born in Sweden between 1992 and 2005. According to the results:
11% of births had been induced, usually due to complications associated with pregnancy or post-term deliveries (after week 42), which accounted for 23% of the deliveries caused.
2% of total babies born, either naturally or induced, had been subsequently diagnosed with autism.
First, when the situation of unrelated children was assessed, the association between induced births and the risk of autism was similar to that of the 2013 study. However, when the situation of the brothers with discordant births, that is, in which one of the children of the same mother was born by natural birth and the other by induced birth, the previous observations went to waste.
As explained by Anna Sara Oberg, director of the research:
In our work, in which we have employed close relatives such as brothers and carnal cousins as a comparative group, we have not found any association between induced births and the risk of autism. In addition, many of the factors that could lead to labor induction and autism are shared, either totally or partially, by siblings, in the case of the mother's characteristics or genetic or socio-economic factors.
Therefore, the finding of this absence of association when compared between siblings suggests that the previously observed associations could have been due to these family factors, no to induction.
A very important observation of the latter, since as the authors point out "it is important to keep in mind that our results have to do with the risk associated with the induction of labor per se, and not with the specific methods or medications used in the process, including oxytocin. "
Photos | iStockphoto
Via | ABC
More information | JAMA Pediatrics
In Babies and Children | Autism in infants and children: everything you need to know, They recommend an induction, refuses and the police take her from her home to give birth to the hospital
