Cervical Ripening Balloon for 12 Hours vs. 1 Hour.

The common IOL techniques used for pregnant women with unfavorable cervix might be specified to either mechanical induction via cervical ripening balloon (CRB) or pharmacological induction. The insertion of a CRB is believed to mechanically ripen the uterine cervix with a better safety profile than prostaglandins. The duration of the balloon placement varied considerably, and it was commonly placed for 12-24 hours. Nevertheless, recent randomized controlled studies have demonstrated favorable results following only 6 hours of CRB placement with or without additional administration of oxytocin. We believe that mechanical ripening of the cervix can be achieved even less than six hours. Our study aims to evaluate the time to delivery and pregnancy outcomes after placement of CRB of only 1 hour compared to either 6 or 12 hours. Study Protocol: 1. Women planned for induction of labor will be approached by a trained resident and will sign informed consent. 2. All participants will be randomized to either one hour or twelve hours CRB placement using a computer program randomization scheme, block size of 20, by the department research coordinator who will keep the sequential in sealed envelopes. 3. Demographic parameters will be retrieved from the computerized database of Rambam Medical Center (RMC). 4. Eligible women will undergo the usual procedure of CRB insertion using a double lumen Cook cervical ripening balloon (CCRB). The CRB will be removed approximately after an hour in the intervention group and after twelve hours in the control group. Thereafter, the women will proceed amniotomy or Pitocin use at the discretion of the labor and delivery physician