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19.6 Complications Related to Labor and Delivery

Complications that occur during labor and delivery can cause maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Common complications include prolonged labor (dystocia), cord prolapse, shoulder dystocia, and breech delivery (fetal malpresentation).

Review information about complications in the “Complications Associated With Labor” and “Complications and Medical Interventions During the Second Stage of Labor” sections of the “Labor and Delivery Care” chapter.

Review information about shoulder dystocia under the “Postpartum Hemorrhage” subsection of the “Hemorrhage” section.

View a supplementary YouTube video[1] summarizing common conditions related to abnormal labor: Topic 22: Abnormal Labor


  1. Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO). (2015, September 9). Topic 22: Abnormal labor [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHdausjbBz4

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