OBJECTIVE

To determine the factors associated with dissatisfaction in women whose labour was induced, according to parity.

DESIGN

Prospective population-based cohort study.

SETTING

Seven French perinatal health networks including 94 maternity units PARTICIPANTS: Among 3042 consecutive women who underwent induction of labour (IoL) with a live foetus from November 17 to December 20, 2015, in participating maternity units, this study included the 1453 who answered the self-administered questionnaire about their experience of IoL at two months post-delivery.

MEASUREMENTS

The associations between women's dissatisfaction at two months post-delivery and the characteristics of their pregnancy, labour, and delivery were assessed with multivariable logistic regression models. Analyses were stratified for nulliparous and parous women. Multivariable mixed models were used to take a random effect for the maternity unit into account.

FINDINGS

The response rate was 47.8% (n = 1453/3042). Overall, 30% of the nulliparous women were dissatisfied (n = 231/770) and 19.7% (n = 130/659) of the parous women. The specific independent determinants of dissatisfaction for nulliparous women were antenatal birth classes that failed to include discussion of IoL (OR: 2.68, 95% CI [1.37; 5.23]) and lack of involvement in the decision-making process (OR: 1.92, 95% CI [1.23; 3.02]). For the parous women, a specific determinant was a delivery that lasted more than 24 h (OR: 4.04, 95% CI [1.78; 9.14]). Determinants of maternal dissatisfaction common to both groups were unbearable vaginal discomfort (respectively, OR: 1.98, 95% CI [1.16; 3.37] and OR: 4.23, 95% CI [2.04; 8.77]), inadequate pain relief (respectively, OR: 5.55, 95% CI [3.48; 8.86] and OR: 9.17, 95% CI [5.24; 16.02]), lack of attention to requests (respectively OR: 3.81, 95% CI [2.35; 6.19] and OR: 5.01, 95% CI [2.38; 10.52]), caesarean delivery (respectively, OR: 5.55, 95% CI [3.41; 9.03] and OR: 4.61, 95% CI [2.02; 10.53]) and severe maternal complications (respectively, OR: 2.45, 95% CI [1.02; 5.88] and OR: 5.29, 95% CI [1.32; 21.21]).

KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

To reduce dissatisfaction in nulliparous women, IoL should be discussed during antenatal birth classes and women should be made to feel that they shared in the medical decision to perform IoL. For parous women, care providers should inform them that the duration of delivery may exceed 24 h. Continuous support for all women during IoL should pay closer attention to vaginal discomfort, pain and women's requests. Postpartum discussions with mothers should be arranged to enable conversation about the experience of unexpected events.