Is <i>Goshakusan</i> (Japanese Kampo) Effective in Accelerating Labor and Delivery After 37 Weeks of Pregnancy? A Retrospective Study

ABSTRACT Aim Previous reports suggest that goshakusan effectively ripens the cervical canal, improves the induction success rate, and decreases cesarean section rates. At our hospital, goshakusan is sometimes administered after 37 weeks of pregnancy at the attending doctor's discretion. Here, we investigated whether goshakusan could affect delivery time, cesarean section rate, and the day of delivery. Methods Between January 2021 and December 2022, 1037 infants were delivered at our hospital. Premature birth, scheduled cesarean delivery, and pregnancy with complications were the exclusion criteria ( N = 745). Overall, 292 women who delivered after 37 weeks of gestation were included. We compared 88 pregnant women who consumed goshakusan (7.5 g/day) after 37 weeks (goshakusan group) with 204 who did not (control group). Results The median day of delivery of primiparas was 40 weeks 1 day (39 weeks 4 days–40 weeks 4 days) in the goshakusan group and 39 weeks 3 days (38 weeks 4 days–40 weeks 1 day) in the control group. For multiparas, it was 40 weeks 1 day (39 weeks 6 days–40 weeks 4 days) in the goshakusan group and 39 weeks 1 day (38 weeks 3 days–40 weeks 0 days) in the control group. This indicates a significantly later birth date ( p &lt; 0.001) in the goshakusan group than in the control group. No significant differences were observed in delivery time and mode of delivery. Conclusion In this study, goshakusan did not decrease delivery time or the cesarean section rate and tended to delay the day of delivery.