Induced, Augmented Labor Associated with Autism Risk

Women who are given drugs to induce labor or increase strength of contractions are at a higher risk of having a child born with autism, a new study found. Researchers said that the risk of autism was higher among male babies.

The study was conducted by researchers at Duke Medicine and the University of Michigan and was based on health records of all births in North Carolina over a period of eight years. There were a total of 625,042 during this time. The researchers looked at corresponding data from schools to obtain information about autism diagnosis in these children.

Previous research has shown that inducing labor (stimulating contractions before natural labor) and augmenting labor (increasing strength of contractions) can help avoid health complications in mother and child.

"Inducing or augmenting labor has been previously suggested as a contributing factor to autism development. However, these studies produced conflicting results and consisted of a relatively small number of subjects. Our study is by far the largest one of its kind to look at the association between autism and induction or augmentation," said Simon G. Gregory, PhD, associate professor of medicine and medical genetics at Duke and lead author of the study, according to a news release. 

In this study, about 1.3 percent male and 0.4 percent female children had autism. Researchers found that children with autism were more likely to be born after induced or augmented labors.

Researchers found that induced or augmented labor corresponded with a 35 percent increased risk of autism among boys when compared with labor that was spontaneous.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), In the US, 1 in 88 children and 1 in every 54 boys are born with autism.

There are many other risk factors for the condition such as maternal age and complications during pregnancy. In the current study, the experts said that risk of autism due to induced labor is comparable to other factors. However, they added that they didn't find a cause and effect relationship.

"Additional studies are needed to differentiate among potential explanations of the association, such as: underlying pregnancy conditions requiring the eventual need to induce/augment, the events of labor and delivery associated with induction/augmentation, and the specific treatments and dosing used to induce/augment labor (e.g., exogenous oxytocin and prostaglandins)," Marie Lynn Miranda,  from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment and lead author of the study.

 The study is published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.