Temperature increase during labor is frequent, affecting between 2 and 7 % of parturients [1,2], but no consensual threshold exists. Body temperature is maintained stable at 37±0.5 °C (setpoint) [3] through a balance between heat production (thermogenesis) and decomposition (thermolysis) [4]. Increased body temperature can signify either hyperthermia, an imbalance between thermolysis and thermogenesis [5], or fever, a non-specific defense mechanism mediated through pyrogenic molecules that increase the setpoint [6].

During labor, hyperthermia can be caused by endogenous heat production such as uterine contractility [7] or exogenous (dehydration, prostaglandins) [8]. Fever can be infectious or noninfectious (epidural related fever). Thus, all cases of intrapartum temperature increase fear of an infection, especially intraamniotic infection, which affects up to 2 % of term births [9]. Neonatal consequences include low Apgar scores [[10], [11], [12], [13], [14]], acidosis [15], acute respiratory distress [12,16], seizures [12,13,16,17], hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy [2,12,15] and sepsis [14]). However, distinguishing hyperthermia and fever being difficult, they are generally used interchangeably.

There is currently no guideline in France for the management of intrapartum fever. Guidelines from the US and UK both recommend administration of antibiotics, penicillin firstly, in case of fever (≥ 1 temperature ≥ 38.0 °C in the US [18] and ≥ 1 temperature ≥ 38.0 °C or ≥ 2 temperatures > 37.5 °C in UK [19]).

Risk factors and neonatal consequences of intrapartum fever are well studied [1,10,20,21] but to our knowledge no study has identified predictive factors of poor neonatal outcomes in febrile parturients.

Hence, our objective was to identify predictive factors of poor neonatal outcomes in women developing intrapartum fever.