Bibliographic information
GuidelineWHO recommendations on maternal health: guidelines approved by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee, second edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025
Year of Publication2023
Issuing InstitutionWorld Health Organization
Recommendation
New
Labour may not naturally accelerate until a cervical dilatation threshold of 5 cm is reached. Therefore the use of medical interventions to accelerate labour and birth (such as oxytocin augmentation or caesarean section) before this threshold is not recommended, provided fetal and maternal conditions are reassuring
Not recommended
Certainty of evidence
Moderate