Improving evidence on cervical ripening in induction of labour: bridging gaps through better data

Medically starting labour or inducing labour is a common procedure that helps start childbirth when needed towards the end of pregnancy. It requires softening, thinning and opening of the cervix, known as cervical ripening, followed by gradually increasing uterine contractions. Optimal methods for cervical ripening in labour induction need further exploration. This PhD thesis addresses a few unanswered research questions in this area, helps improve our understanding by analysing the data collected from several research studies where participants are randomly assigned and how reliable these studies are.