For Patients/Families

Dystocia
Literally, it means difficult labor and practically means abnormally slow progress of labor. The word comes from the Greek 'dys' meaning 'difficult, painful, disordered, abnormal' and 'tokos' meaning 'birth'. Four potential factors may cause difficult labor characterized by abnormally slow progress. They may occur separately or together.

1) Uterine contractions may be either too weak or too uncoordinated to open up the cervix. There may also be inadequate pushing with voluntary muscles during the second stage of labor.

2) The baby may be lined up wrong to easily pass through the birth canal. Alternatively, there may be other problems with the baby that also retard passage of the baby through the birth canal.

3) The maternal bony pelvis may be too narrow to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal.

4) Abnormalities of the birth canal other than those of the bony pelvis may obstruct fetal descent.

The most common cause of dystocia is a small bony pelvis and/or insufficiently strong and coordinated uterine contractions.