Comparison of cesarean delivery rates after 3 methods of cervical ripening among obese women at or after 41 weeks - Secondary analysis of two French randomized controlled trials: MAGPOP and CYTOPRO

Objective: To compare cesarean rates and maternal and neonatal morbidity according to the cervical ripening method used among obese pregnant women requiring induction of labor at or after 41 weeks of gestation.Design: A secondary analysis of two multicenter randomized controlled trials conducted in French maternity units between 2015 and 2018.Participants: 336 women with a body mass index >= 30 kg/m(2), a pregnancy >= 41 weeks, and an induction of labor requiring cervical ripening.Interventions: Cervical ripening with a PGE2 dinoprostone pessary (Propess (R)), or low-dose vaginal PGE1 (misoprostol) or a double-balloon catheter.Measurements and findings: The rates of cesarean delivery did not differ significantly according to the cervical ripening method (PGE2 pessary vs PGE1, RR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.80-1.75; PGE2 pessary vs double balloon catheter: RR, 0.88, 95% CI: 0.60-1.29), p = 0.52; double balloon catheter vs PGE1, RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 0.77-2.32, p = 0.29). More oxytocin was required for women from the double-balloon group compared to those from both the PGE1 and PGE2 pessary groups (respectively, RR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.08-1.58, p = 0.005; RR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.32, p = 0.01). The risk of perineal tears or episiotomy was significantly lower for women induced with the PGE2 pessary than with PGE1 (0.85; 95% CI: 0.74-0.99), p = 0.03).Key conclusions and implications for practice: No cervical ripening method was associated with a lower cesarean rate in obese women who required cervical ripening from 41 weeks. Further trials are required among obese women to determine the cervical ripening method most efficacious for reducing the cesarean rate.