DilaCheck Cervical Dilation Measurement Trial

The trial seeks to compare the DilaCheck device with standard digital cervical dilation examinations. 50 laboring female participants will be enrolled with 25 randomly assigned to the control arm and 25 to the treatment (DilaCheck) arm. Each participant will receive two cervical dilation examinations from two separate physicians. The main outcome measure is agreement between the two cervical dilation measurements. Secondary outcomes include ease of use of the device and pain levels.

Inclusion criteria

• The research population is pregnant women in the first stage of labor. Subjects eligible for inclusion in the study must be: pregnant women who are admitted to a Labor and Delivery unit for management or induction of labor in the first stage of labor, are able to give informed consent, are 18 years of age or greater, speak English, and have a gestational age greater than or equal to 37 weeks (i.e. term pregnancy). Patients are only consented if they have adequate pain control, either because they are not yet in labor (i.e. are admitted for an induction of labor) or have a functioning epidural.

Exclusion criteria

• Exclusion criteria include progression to the second stage of labor (i.e. known dilation of ten centimeters), known rupture of membranes, any condition that renders labor unsafe for the patient (e.g. cardiac conditions, pulmonary hypertension) and any other condition that necessitates an emergent or urgent cesarean section (e.g. non-reassuring fetal status, placental abruption, hemorrhage, cord prolapse). All participants are necessarily female due to the subject matter. Given the vulnerability of pregnant patients under the age of 18, this study will exclude children. There are no restrictions on eligibility based on race or ethnicity.