OBJECTIVE To determine whether labor-associated inflammatory markers differ between low-risk, nulliparous women in preactive vs active labor at hospital admission and over time. STUDY DESIGN Prospective comparative study of low-risk, nulliparous women with spontaneous labor onset at term (n = 118) sampled from 2 large Midwestern hospitals. Circulating concentrations of inflammatory markers we...

We used a timed-pregnant rat model to track changes in myometrial contractility during pregnancy and labor and to correlate these changes with upstream signaling events. Myometrium was harvested from CO(2)-euthanized rats. Although contraction amplitudes increased at 16 and 20 days of pregnancy, contraction incidence and area under the force curve were inhibited, consistent with the myometrial ...

Progesterone and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) have a critical role in pregnancy and labor, as changes related to these hormones are crucial for the transition from myometrial quiescence to contractility. The mechanisms related to their effect differ between humans and other species, thus, despite extensive research, many questions remain to be answered regarding their mediation in huma...

BACKGROUND The increasing rate of intrapartum cesarean sections is subject of attention and concern as it is associated with adverse outcomes. Labor dystocia is one of the most frequent indications for cesarean sections even though there is no consensus on criteria for labor dystocia. Traditionally the progression of labor follows guidelines based on Friedman's curve from the mid 1950s. In 2010...

Background The rationale for injection of epidural medications through the needle is to promote sooner onset of pain relief relative to dosing through the epidural catheter given that needle injection can be performed immediately after successful location of the epidural space. Some evidence indicates that dosing medications through the epidural needle results in faster onset and improved quali...

Progestin withdrawal is a crucial event for the onset of labor in many mammalian species. However, in humans the mechanism of a functional progestin withdrawal is unclear, because progestin concentrations do not drop in maternal plasma preceding labor. We report the presence of two novel functional membrane progestin receptors (mPRs), mPRalpha and mPRbeta, in human myometrium that are different...

Objective: To compare the efficacy of extra-amniotic saline with extra-amniotic ethacridine lactate in inducing labor in pregnancies with intrauterine fetal death. Material and methods: This was a prospective randomized controlled study. 50 women with intrauterine fetal death after 20 weeks of gestation were assigned to receive either extra-amniotic infusion (150 ml) of normal saline or ethacri...

 ABSTRACT Background: As any delay in the onset of milk production and ejection in the first few days after delivery can cause breast-feeding failure, this study has been done to determine factors that may affect the onset time of lactation in vaginal and cesarean section deliveries with and without labor pain (elective). Methods: 300 partUJient mothers selected from two private and university ...

Results Overall, 1, 898 pregnancies were eligible, of them, 259 underwent induction of labor, and 1, 639 were admitted with spontaneous onset of labor. Demographic data, parity, gestational age at delivery and birthweight were similar. The overall rate of cesarean delivery was significantly higher in the study group (16. 2% vs. 10. 7%, p=0. 01), mainly due to labor dystocia (8. 1% vs. 3. 7%, p<...

BACKGROUND Satisfaction with birth care is part of quality assessment of care. The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences in satisfaction with intrapartum care among low-risk women, randomized to a midwifery unit or to an obstetric unit within the same hospital. METHODS Randomized controlled trial conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Østfold Hospital Tr...