Efficacy and Safety of Non-Pharmacological Methods of Induction of Labour Compared to Pharmacological Methods in Term Pregnant Women: Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Efficacy and Safety of Non-Pharmacological Methods of Induction of Labour Compared to Pharmacological Methods in Term Pregnant Women: Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Efficacy and Safety of Non-Pharmacological Methods of Induction of Labour Compared to Pharmacological Methods in Term Pregnant Women: Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Corneille Killy NTIHABOSE, Juliana Rincón López, Emile Twagirumukiza This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7304021/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction Induction of labor is a widely used obstetric procedure aimed at stimulating uterine contractions before spontaneous onset. While pharmacological methods such as oxytocin and prostaglandins are commonly used, non-pharmacological alternatives like membrane sweeping, nipple stimulation, and acupuncture are gaining attention due to their perceived safety and acceptability. Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological versus pharmacological methods for induction of labor in term pregnant women. Methods This protocol follows the PRISMA-P guidelines and is registered in PROSPERO. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compare pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of labor induction among women at term (37–42 weeks of gestation). Databases including MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, and others will be systematically searched. Primary outcomes include vaginal delivery rate and the incidence of non-reassuring fetal heart rate patterns. Secondary outcomes encompass time to onset of labor, cesarean section rate, maternal and neonatal complications, among others. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and evidence certainty will be graded using the GRADE approach. Data will be synthesized using RevMan 5.4 and, if feasible, meta-analyses will be conducted. Expected Results We anticipate identifying a range of studies that evaluate both intervention types, which will allow us to quantify differences in efficacy and safety. This evidence may highlight specific contexts or populations where one method is more favorable. Conclusion This systematic review aims to provide high-quality evidence on the comparative effectiveness and safety of pharmacological versus non-pharmacological labor induction methods, ultimately guiding clinical decision-making and informing patient care. Labor induction Non-pharmacological methods Pharmacological methods Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revision 27 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Nov, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 13 Nov, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 13 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 05 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7304021","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":544321264,"identity":"9297042f-a3cc-4f24-ad5b-d62a1c80fe71","order_by":0,"name":"Corneille Killy 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