ReviewPloS one2020
How much synthetic oxytocin is infused during labour? A review and analysis of regimens used in 12 countries.
Review in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Maternal and newborn plasma oxytocin levels in response to maternal synthetic oxytocin administration during labour, birth and postpartum - a systematic review with implications for the function of the oxytocinergic system.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Pooled it
- Continued versus discontinued oxytocin stimulation in the active phase of labour (CONDISOX): double blind randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2021Trial
- EMMIs: Engineered Myometrial Microtissues for Direct Quantification of Oxytocin-Induced Contractility.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Nipple stimulation for labour augmentation: evidence from randomised and quasi-experimental studies.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Review
- Association between total oxytocin dose and maternal and neonatal morbidity during labour induction: a retrospective study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Observational
- Effect of preoperative oxytocin infusion on haemodynamics among women undergoing elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia: A randomised controlled study.Indian journal of anaesthesia · 2025Article
- Physiological plateaus during normal labor and birth: A novel definition.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2025Article
- The Effect of Maternal Oxytocin Induction during Birth on Early Neonatal Pain and Stress: A Quasi-Experimental Study.Biological research for nursing · 2025Article
- Article
- Uterine Reaction to Oxytocin and Maternal-Neonatal Outcomes in Inducing Labor: A Retrospective Cohort Study.International journal of women's health · 2025Article
- Continuation versus discontinuation of intravenous oxytocin in the active phase of labour.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Article
- Oxytocin in growth, reproduction, restoration and health.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Review
- Is Oxytocin Induction at Labor a Risk Factor for Developmental Hip Dysplasia?Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Patterns of oxytocin use for induction and augmentation of labour among healthcare providers in Nigeria.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Intrapartum exposure to synthetic oxytocin, maternal BMI, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children within the ECHO consortium.Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Inconsistent definitions of labour progress and over-medicalisation cause unnecessary harm during birth.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Article
- Labor augmentation with oxytocin in low- and lower-middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.AJOG global reports · 2022Review
- Neonatal breast-suckling skills in the context of lactation and peripartum hormonal changes and additional factors-a pilot study.International breastfeeding journal · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo compare synthetic oxytocin infusion regimens used during labour, calculate the International Units (IU) escalation rate and total amount of IU infused over eight hours.
designObservational study.
settingTwelve countries, eleven European and South Africa. SAMPLE: National, regional or institutional-level regimens on oxytocin for induction and augmentation labour.
methodsData on oxytocin IU dose, infusion fluid amount, start dose, escalation rate and maximum dose were collected. Values for each regimen were converted to IU in 1000ml diluent. One IU corresponded to 1.67μg for doses provided in grams/micrograms. IU hourly dose increase rates were based on escalation frequency. Cumulative doses and total IU amount infused were calculated by adding the dose administered for each previous hour. Main Outcome Measures Oxytocin IU dose infused.
resultsData were obtained on 21 regimens used in 12 countries. Details on the start dose, escalation interval, escalation rate and maximum dose infused were available from 16 regimens. Starting rates varied from 0.06 IU/hour to 0.90 IU/hour, and the maximum dose rate varied from 0.90 IU/hour to 3.60 IU/hour. The total amount of IU oxytocin infused, estimated over eight hours, ranged from 2.38 IU to 27.00 IU, a variation of 24.62 IU and an 11-fold difference.
conclusionCurrent variations in oxytocin regimens for induction and augmentation of labour are inexplicable. It is crucial that the appropriate minimum infusion regimen is administered because synthetic oxytocin is a potentially harmful medication with serious consequences for women and babies when inappropriately used. Estimating the total amount of oxytocin IU received by labouring women, alongside the institution's mode of birth and neonatal outcomes, may deepen our understanding and be the way forward to identifying the optimal infusion regimen.
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