Labor Induction Does Not Cause Autism

Experts are saying that there is too little evidence to support the theory that induced labor causes autism in newborns, according to a recent report out from the American College of Obstetricians.

According to an official Committee Opinion report released by the American College of Obstetricians, despite the fact that multiple studies have found evidence that indicates that induced pregnancy causes autism, the various results have been far too inconsistent to be sufficient proof. It is just as likely, the committee wrote, that the data of these studies were influenced by unforeseen factors that have nothing to do with the induced labor itself. Other studies have found no evidence that induced labor causes an increased likelihood of a child developing autism spectrum disorder, countering evidence in favor of the theory.

Labor induction is a process used by some doctors on women who are facing a particularly difficult pregnancy and birth process. It involves a process that encourages uterine contacting during labor and/or increasingly the intensity and duration of each contraction, speeding the overall birthing process. Critics of this strategy claim that doctors are simply just trying to save time and are putting the child's well-being at risk by accelerating a natural process. Autism has always been a popularly cited negative outcome of this procedure and a strong argument as to why induced labor should be forbidden except in the more dire of circumstances.

However, according to the Committee Opinion report, critics might be relying on an unfounded argument.

According to the report, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, an investigation by the Committee found that a great many of the studies that have found evidence of an increased autism rate among induced-labor babies had sample sizes that were simply too small to be providing reliable data. As with all research, the smaller the sample size, the greater the likelihood that data can be negatively influenced by unconsidered factors and pure-dumb luck. Research of smaller sizes is simply supposed to inspire larger more conclusive studies, but in the cases of many of the studies, large follow-ups were never conducted.

Interestingly, other small studies and some studies of larger sample sizes found inconclusive results, and six studies conclusively found no association between induced labor and autism rates at all.

The Committee wrote that while they will keep their eyes out for more evidence, current evidence simply cannot identify a causal relationship between labor induction and autism. In-fact, current evidence may imply the exact opposite -- that the two are certainly unrelated -- but of course, that theory too would require further investigation.

The Committee Opinion report was published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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