Induction medications

Research on induction medications mostly compares agents used for cervical ripening and to start or strengthen contractions: misoprostol, dinoprostone and oxytocin. A systematic review and meta-analysis compares oral misoprostol with vaginal dinoprostone, and other studies compare vaginal and sublingual low-dose misoprostol with vaginal dinoprostone, look at pain with misoprostol versus dinoprostone, and examine misoprostol combined with oxytocin versus oxytocin alone in relation to the cervical Bishop score.

A secondary analysis looks at oral misoprostol versus vaginal dinoprostone among women who needed oxytocin before a certain cervical dilation. Reference material includes a 6th edition publication on cervical ripening and labor induction and augmentation, an entry on induction of labor, and physiology entries on contractions and cervical dilation that explain what these drugs are trying to influence.

Parents commonly ask what each medication is, how it is given, how it feels and how long it takes. The research looks at effectiveness, safety and comfort, and studies vary in design and population, so questions about the best choice continue to be examined.

An educator may want slides to describe how each medication is delivered and what has been compared, without implying a single best option. The papers below are the ones the Hub tracks on this topic.