Effect of Membrane Sweeping at Term on Duration of Onset of Labour at Tertiary Care Hospital (EMSTDOLTCH)

NCT07615946 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: KGH-ERB:2025/012
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 214
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether membrane sweeping can help start labour naturally and improve delivery outcomes in women with term pregnancy. Membrane sweeping is a simple procedure performed during a vaginal examination in which a healthcare provider gently separates the membranes around the baby from the lower part of the uterus. This may help the body release natural hormones that encourage labour to begin. This study will include pregnant women aged 18 to 45 years with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies between 38 and 41 weeks of gestation. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

• Does membrane sweeping reduce the time taken for labour to start naturally?
• Does membrane sweeping reduce the need for medical induction of labour and cesarean section?
• Does membrane sweeping improve maternal and newborn outcomes at term pregnancy? Researchers will compare women who undergo membrane sweeping with women who receive routine care without membrane sweeping to determine whether the procedure improves labour and delivery outcomes. Participants in the membrane sweeping group will undergo membrane sweeping during routine vaginal examination from 38 weeks of pregnancy until labour starts or until 41 weeks of gestation. Participants in the control group will receive routine antenatal and obstetric care without membrane sweeping. Researchers will record the onset of labour, duration of labour, mode of delivery, and maternal and newborn complications during and after delivery.

Conditions

Term Pregnancy; Post Term Pregnancy; Labour Induction; Delayed Onset of Labour

Keywords

membrane sweeping; term pregnancy; labour induction; spontaneous labour; vaginal delivery; cesarean section; maternal outcome; neonatal outcome; cervical ripening; obstetrics; pregnancy at term; mechanical induction of labour

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• spontaneous Onset of Labour

  number of participants who achieve spontaneous labour without formal induction

  38 to 41 weeks of gestation

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Induction of labour

  at 41 weeks of gestation

• maternal Complication

  During labour and with in 24 hours after delivery

Study Arms (2)

Membrane sweeping group

EXPERIMENTAL

participants in this group will undergo membrane sweeping during routine vaginal examination from 38 weeks of gestation until spontaneous labour occur or until 41 weeks of gestation

Procedure: membrane sweeping

No intervention / Active comparator

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

participants in this group will receive routine obstetric care and routine vaginal examination without membrane sweeping

Procedure: Routine Vaginal examination

Interventions

membrane sweeping PROCEDURE

membrane sweeping will be performed by inserting one or two gloved fingers through the cervix and gently separating the fetal membranes from the lower uterine segment using a circular sweeping motion during vaginal examination

Also known as: membrane stripping, Cervical Sweeping, Sweeping of membrane

Membrane sweeping group

Routine Vaginal examination PROCEDURE

participants in the control group will receive routine obstetric care and routine vaginal examination without membrane sweeping

No intervention / Active comparator

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 45 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: pregnant women
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Singleton pregnancy.
• Cephalic presentation.
• Gestational age between 38 and 41 weeks.
• Intact fetal membranes.
• Women with uncomplicated term pregnancy.

You may not qualify if:

• Women unwilling to participate in the study.
• Multiple pregnancies.
• Mal-presentation.
• Placenta previa or placental abruption.
• Previous uterine surgery or previous two cesarean sections.
• Premature rupture of membranes.
• Gestational hypertension or diabetes mellitus.
• Severe fetal anomalies.
• Active cervical or genital herpes infection.
• Contraindications to vaginal delivery.
• High-risk pregnancy requiring immediate intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kharadar General Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Kharader General Hospital

Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Location

Related Publications (11)

• 11. Batham SK, Kori A, Sirpurkar MS. Sweeping of the fetal membranes and its effect on duration of pregnancy in low risk cases. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol 2020;9:2118-21.

  BACKGROUND

• 10. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Inducing labour. Clinical guideline [CG70]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg70/chapter/4-researchrecommendations (accessed 4th February 2024]. 2008.

  BACKGROUND

• 9. Blackburn S. Maternal, Fetal, & Neonatal Physiology - A Clinical Perspective. 3rd Edition. Missouri: Saunders Elsevier, 2013.

  BACKGROUND

• Boulvain M, Kelly A, Irion O. Intracervical prostaglandins for induction of labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD006971. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006971.

  PMID: 18254122 BACKGROUND

• Tan PC, Khine PP, Sabdin NH, Vallikkannu N, Sulaiman S. Effect of membrane sweeping on cervical length by transvaginal ultrasonography and impact of cervical shortening on cesarean delivery. J Ultrasound Med. 2011 Feb;30(2):227-33. doi: 10.7863/jum.2011.30.2.227.

  PMID: 21266561 BACKGROUND

• Zamzami TY, Al Senani NS. The Efficacy of Membrane Sweeping at Term and Effect on the Duration of Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2014;3(1):30-34.

  BACKGROUND

• World Health Organization. WHO recommendations for induction of labour. Available from: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/ 10665/44531/1/ 9789241501156_eng.pdf (accessed 4th February 2024).

  BACKGROUND

• Bakker JJH, van der Goes BY, Pel M, Mol BW, van der Post JA. Morning versus evening induction of labour for improving outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 2. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007707]

  BACKGROUND

• Finucane EM, Murphy DJ, Biesty LM, Gyte GM, Cotter AM, Ryan EM, Boulvain M, Devane D. Membrane sweeping for induction of labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Feb 27;2(2):CD000451. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000451.pub3.

  PMID: 32103497 BACKGROUND

• Pirzada H, Shabir R, Ehsan A, Tahir N, Saifuddin Z, Fatima A. Sweeping of membranes for induction of labour in low-risk term pregnancy. Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal. 2022;72(2):658-661

  BACKGROUND

• Ali A, Iqbal S, Rashid T. The effectiveness of membrane sweeping at term and clinical effects on duration of pregnancy. Annals of KEMU. 2021;27(2):223-227.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pregnancy, Prolonged

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pregnancy Complications; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Participants will be assigned into two parallel groups. One group will undergo membrane sweeping during routine vaginal examination, while the control group will receive routine obstetric care without membrane sweeping. Maternal and neonatal outcomes, onset and duration of labour, and mode of delivery will be compared between the two groups.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 13, 2026
• First Posted: May 29, 2026
• Study Start: January 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 31, 2026
• Study Completion: January 31, 2026
• Last Updated: May 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PA (1)