SynthesisJournal of midwifery & women's health
"Active labor" duration and dilation rates among low-risk, nulliparous women with spontaneous labor onset: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of midwifery & women's health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 166 citations in OpenAlex.
- Early versus late amniotomy during induction of labor using oxytocin: A randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2023Trial
- De-medicalization of birth by reducing the use of oxytocin for augmentation among first-time mothers - a prospective intervention study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2018Trial
- Comparing Different Partograph Designs for Use in Standard Labor Care: A Pilot Randomized Trial.Maternal and child health journal · 2018Trial
- Effectiveness of Fu's subcutaneous needling combined with muscle energy technique for postpartum perineal pain: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Enhancing uterine contraction detection through novel EHG signal processing: a pilot study leveraging the relationship between slow and fast wave components to improve signal quality and noise resilience.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Duration of labor in consecutive deliveries: a retrospective data analysis.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Article
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- Article
- Consistency and timeliness of intrapartum care interventions as predictors of intrapartum stillbirth in public health facilities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a case-control study.The Pan African medical journal · 2021Article
- First stage progression in women with spontaneous onset of labor: A large population-based cohort study.PloS one · 2020Article
- Article
- The Impact of Fetal Anomalies on Contemporary Labor Patterns.American journal of perinatology · 2019Article
- Labor Pattern Among Primigravida in Local Population.Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology of India · 2018Article
- Factors affecting labor duration in Chinese pregnant women.Medicine · 2018Observational
- On predicting time to completion for the first stage of spontaneous labor at term in multiparous women.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2017Article
- Quality Improvement Initiatives Lead to Reduction in Nulliparous Term Singleton Vertex Cesarean Delivery Rate.Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety · 2017Article
- High proportions of obstetric referrals in Addis Ababa: the case of term premature rupture of membranes.BMC research notes · 2016Article
- Tracking the changes in synchrony of the electrophysiological activity as the uterus approaches labor using magnetomyographic technique.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2015Article
- Differences in inflammatory markers between nulliparous women admitted to hospitals in preactive vs active labor.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2015Article
- Serum lactate dehydrogenase profile as a retrospective indicator of uterine preparedness for labor: a prospective, observational study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionLaboring women are often admitted to labor units under criteria that are commonly associated with the onset of active-phase labor (i.e., cervical dilatation of 3-5 cm in the presence of regular contractions). Beginning with these criteria through complete dilatation, this systematic review describes labor duration and cervical dilation rates among low-risk, nulliparous women with spontaneous labor onset.
methodsStudies published in English (between 1990 and 2008) were identified via MEDLINE and CINAHL searches. Data were abstracted and weighted "active labor" durations (i.e., from 3-5 cm through complete dilatation) and linear dilation rates were calculated.
resultsEighteen studies (n = 7009) reported mean "active labor" duration. The weighted mean duration was 6.0 hours, and the calculated dilation rate was 1.2 cm per hour. These findings closely parallel those found at the median. At the statistical limits, the weighted "active labor" duration was 13.4 hours (mean + 2 standard deviations) and the dilation rate was 0.6 cm per hour (mean - 2 standard deviations). DISCUSSION: These findings indicate that nulliparous women with spontaneous labor onset have longer "active" labors and therefore slower dilation rates than are traditionally associated with active labor when commonly used criteria are applied as the starting point. Revision of existing active labor expectations and/or criteria used to prospectively identify active phase onset is warranted.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.