That a physiologically active substance could be obtained from the pituitary body was first discovered by Oliver and Schafer1 in 1895. Some time afterwards (in 1906) Dale found that an extract of the posterior lobe could produce uterine contractions. This discovery was confirmed by Blair Bell3 in 1909; by experimental observations on rabbits he found that it caused powerful uterine contractions...

OBJECTIVE Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and urocortin are two placental neuropeptides that are involved in the mechanisms of labour by modulating myometrial activity. Maternal plasma levels of both CRF and urocortin are increased at term and preterm labour, whilst those of CRF are reduced in women who are destined to experience post-term delivery. The present study evaluated maternal pl...

The goal of obstetrics is a pregnancy that culminates in a healthy infant and a minimally traumatized mother. Ideally all pregnancies should go to term and labour should begin spontaneously. More often than not, the need for delivery is clear but the timing is not emergent and the route is not dictated by foetal demands. A method to initiate the normal process of labour at a time before labour ...

Oxytocin is a valuable, time-tested drug and one of the most commonly used medications during labour and delivery.1 It acts on the smooth muscle of the uterus to stimulate contractions. In Canada, its uses include the induction of labour in patients with a medical indication for the initiation of labour; the stimulation and reinforcement of labour; and to control postpartum bleeding and hemorrh...

Due to rising rates of labour induction in industrialised countries, safe and effective methods of induction have once again become a focus of interest and research. Prostaglandins are effective for cervical ripening and induction of uterine contractions. They do, however, cause overstimulation of the uterus in up to 20 % of cases, sometimes causing changes in fetal heart rate. Transcervical ba...

OBJECTIVES To assess the delivery outcome in a pregnancy with a previous unexplained intra-uterine death by elective induction of labour at term. METHODS An audit of the pregnancy outcome of all women within the catchment area with a current singleton pregnancy; and a previous unexplained or unexplored singleton fetal demise ≥24 weeks (or 500 grams birth weight if gestation unknown) after pla...

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of sublingual with oral misoprostol for induction of labour in primigravida with prelabour rupture of membranes at term. STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit-II, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore, from June 2004 to January 2006. METHODOLOGY The study included 100 primigravidas wit...