Supplemental glucose delivered intravenously significantly reduces the length of labor, without increasing the rate of complication, in women giving birth for the first time, according to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Researchers conducted a prospective, triple-blinded, randomized-controlled trial examining the use of dextrose combined with saline in the IV. The trial included 190 women. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either IV dextrose with normal saline or normal saline for the whole duration of induction, labor and delivery.
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The dextrose group experienced reduced labor times compared to the non-dextrose group, 441 minutes versus 505 minutes. The proportion of patients who delivered at 200 minutes was 19 percent in the dextrose group versus 8 percent in the normal saline group. The proportion of patients who delivered at 450 minutes was 75 percent in the dextrose group versus 61 percent in the normal saline group.