2024 Volume 12 Issue 4 Pages 69-72
Aim: We examined the difference in pain levels between using the controlled-release dinoprostone vaginal delivery system (PROPESS) and mechanical methods.
Methods: Between December 2023 and January 2024, 13 nulliparous women used PROPESS and 13 nulliparous women used mechanical methods (as control) for cervical ripening at 41 weeks of gestation. After the selected insertion methods were completed, the patients were asked about their pain levels during the insertion, with the pain scored on a ten-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). In addition, successful cervical ripening was defined when the Bishop score was >6 or the patient delivered vaginally by the next day following insertion of PROPESS only or mechanical cervical dilation only.
Results: The average NRS score after PROPESS insertion was 2.6±2, which was significantly lower than that after mechanical methods (5.7±3, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the success rate of cervical ripening between mechanical method and PROPESS insertion groups (38 vs. 31%, respectively, P=0.68).
Conclusion: The potential benefit of PROPESS being pain-free was observed in women requiring cervical ripening.