In plain words
Amniotomy is the medical term for breaking the bag of waters during labor. A provider uses a small plastic hook to make a tiny opening in the membranes. It is often used to speed up labor, or to check the color of the fluid and the baby's heart rate more closely. Once the water breaks, contractions often become stronger. Some mothers feel relief, and others find it uncomfortable. Amniotomy does not start labor by itself in every case. It is one choice among several that a provider may suggest. A mother can ask what it would change and what the alternatives are before it happens.
The deeper version
Amniotomy is artificial rupture of membranes, performed with an hook to release fluid, with the aim of augmenting labor or allowing internal . Amniotomy releases and increases uterine wall tension, which stimulates contractions. The Cochrane review by Smyth and colleagues (2013) found little evidence that routine amniotomy in labor shortens it. The 2014 ACOG and SMFM consensus places amniotomy within the labor-augmentation pathway tied to active-phase definitions. The controversy concerns routine versus selective use, and whether early amniotomy shortens labor or raises rates.
Where it comes up
- Induction: why, how, and what to askGetting Ready for Birth
- Very fast and very long laborsBirth and the First Days
- The stages of labor, plainlyBirth and the First Days
What mothers here say about amniotomy
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Fox R and colleagues, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — Amniotomy for shortening spontaneous labour (2015)
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine — Obstetric Care Consensus No. 1: Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery (2014)