ABSTRACT
The aim of amniotomy is to speed up contractions and shorten the length of labor. However, there are concerns regarding unintended adverse effects on the mother and neonate. The aim of current study was to compare maternal and childbirth outcomes of early and late amniotomy with premature rupture of membranes [PROM]. This cohort study was carried out among 200 term pregnant women with singleton fetus and cephalic presentation at shahid Raajaee hospital, Tonekabon, Iran. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square, exact Fisher test and ANOVA using SPSS. version 17.0. Duration of the first stage of labor was significantly longer in the early amniotomy group [15.29 +/- 14.22 hours] as compared with the late amniotomy group [10.27 +/- 5.58 hours] and the PROM group [10.81 +/- 5.30 hours] [P<0.0012]. Higher rates of Cesarean section were found in the early amniotomy group [17.38%] as compared with the others [4/2% in late amniotomy group and 2.37% in PROM group, P<0.018]. Regarding abnormal fetal heart rate [FHR], there was significant differences between early amniotomy group [15.01%] and PROM group [3.36%] [P<0.0001]. There was no significant difference in other neonatal and maternal outcomes between three groups. Regarding current findings, cervical ripening techniques in order to improve the Bishop scores should be applied before amniotomy