WHO recommendations on induction of labour, at or beyond term

Overview

The updated recommendations in this document on the timing of induction of labour supersede the previous WHO recommendations on this topic in the 2018 publication WHO recommendations: induction of labour at or beyond term.

The primary audience for these recommendations includes health professionals who are responsible for developing national and local health-care guidelines and protocols and health workers involved in the provision of care to women and their newborns during pregnancy, labour and childbirth; this includes midwives, nurses, general medical practitioners and obstetricians. The primary audience also includes managers of maternal and child health programmes, and relevant staff in ministries of health and educational and training institutions, in all settings.