Bangladesh Medical Research Council bulletinJun 11, 1998

Starting labor with cervical prostaglandin gel versus oxytocin drip in first-time mothers with a less-ready cervix

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Abstract

The proportion of emergency Cesarean Sections was higher in the oxytocin infusion group compared to the prostaglandin group.

Labor was induced in 100 primigravid women with an unripe cervix using either prostaglandin E2 gel or oxytocin infusion.
The Modified Bishop Score, interval from induction to labor onset, and labor duration were significantly different between the two groups.
Apgar Scores at 1 and 5 minutes showed no significant difference between the induction methods.
There was no significant difference in the mode of delivery between the prostaglandin and oxytocin groups.
Acceptability of both induction methods was similar among participants.

Simplified

The rate of Cesarean Section for failed induction of labor and maternal and fetal compilations are high when labor is induced in a nulliparas women with an unripe cervix by amniotomy and oxytocin infusion. Prostaglandins (PG) in different forms have been used for ripening the cervix with an aim of reducing these problems. A prospective randomized trial was performed on one hundred primigravid women between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation with singleton pregnancy, cephalic presentation and unfavorable cervix (Modified Bishop Score < or = 5) in the department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology of Institute of Postgraduate Medicine & Research from 1st May 1996 to 30th April 1997. In this study the efficiency of prostaglandin E2 intracervical (PGE2 IC) gel in induction of labor in a group of primigravid women with unripe cervix was assessed and compared with another group with similar characteristics using oxytocin infusion and artificial rupture of membrane (ARM). The Modified Bishop Score (MBS), interval between IOL and onset of labor and the duration of labor after insertion of PGE2 gel was significantly different from those of oxytocin infusion group. But the Apgar Score at 1 & 5 min had shown no statistically significant difference. Any significant difference could also not be detected in the mode of delivery between the two induction group. The proportion of emergency Cesarean Section (CS) was high in the oxytocin infusion group than that of in the prostaglandin group. There was also no significant difference regarding the acceptability of both the induction methods.

Starting labor with cervical prostaglandin gel versus oxytocin drip in first-time mothers with a less-ready cervix

Abstract

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