Children born after induced labour ‘may score lower in tests at 12’

Researchers say impact on attainment is small but medical teams should think carefully before artificially kickstarting labour

Children born after induced labour may score lower in school tests at age 12, research suggests. Although the impact on individual attainment is small, researchers said it should prompt medical teams to think twice" before artificially kickstarting labour in otherwise healthy pregnancies.

Most pregnancies come to a natural end after 37 to 42 weeks with the spontaneous onset of labour, but approximately one in five births in the UK are artificially induced. Sometimes there are strong medical grounds for doing so, such as the mother or baby's health being at risk, but in other cases women may be offered an induction because their baby is apparently healthy but overdue.