Italian Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (SIGO): Consensus paper on induction of labor with oral administration of Misoprostol

Induction of labor (IOL) is a medical procedure used to initiate labor and conclude the pregnancy. Its primary aim is to stimulate and obtain an active birth labor.
A procedure is appropriate (inappropriate) if its expected benefit if sufficiently higher (lower) than its expected cost. For this reason, IOL should only be taken into consideration when it is clearly beneficial to either mother and/or fetus and thus reduces the exposure to risks and increases maternal and/or fetal wellbeing. The risks related to IOL must be lower compared to the risks that the continuation of the pregnancy may lead to.
The incidence of IOL in Europe varies between 6.8% and 33%. This percentage varies greatly in countries worldwide and has shown a general and progressive growth in recent years. As regards the situation in Italy, statistics show that in some realities the percentage of induced labor exceeds one in every four births, with an average of 23.2% in 2017.