More Than the Passage of Time: Neonatal Health and Active Labor Duration, the Mediating Role of Chorioamnionitis

(Am J Obstet Gynecol 2025;232:563.e1-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2024.11.025.) Labor interventions are incorporated at times to prevent prenatal morbidity and mortality. Long durations of active labor and second stage of labor (called labor dystocia) are thought to be associated with higher neonatal risks; however, existing research is unclear, partly because of complex relationships between perinatal variables that can affect labor duration. Additional research using latent class analysis may help uncover patterns of neonatal health to better understand these highly correlated relationships and the effects of labor duration on neonatal outcomes.