All India Congress of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 04–08 Jan 2009 · Birla Auditorium, Jaipur

Aim: To determine if weekly sweeping of membranes in primigravidae from 38 weeks reduces the incidence of pastdated pregnancies Methods: Two hundred primigravidae with certain gestational dates were randomly allocated at 38 weeks to receive either weekly sweeping of membranes (n = 102) or pelvic examination (n = 98) till 40 weeks or spontaneous onset of labour. Results: The maternal chacteristics in both the groups were comparable including Bishop score at recruitment. Ninety seven (95%) women in the sweeping group and sixty one (62%) women in the control group were delivered by 40 weeks.