Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40665776›Full record

ReviewBJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology2026

The Effectiveness of Oxytocin for Preventing Postpartum Haemorrhage: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.

Madeline Flanagan, Arsheeya Rattan, Ling Shan Au, Malitha Patabendige, Carole-Anne Whigham, Suze Jans, Patience Cofie, G Justus Hofmeyr, Leiv Arne Rosseland, Andrew Weeks and 2 more

Abstract readNetwork Meta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph

Review in BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Madeline FlanaganDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8371-3126
Arsheeya RattanDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Ling Shan AuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Malitha PatabendigeDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Carole-Anne WhighamDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Suze JansDepartment of Child Health, TNO, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Patience CofiePATH, Accra, Ghana.
G Justus HofmeyrEffective Care Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand and Walter Sisulu University, East London, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3080-1007
Leiv Arne RosselandFaculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6372-8117
Andrew WeeksDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1909-337X
Wentao LiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8980-0909
Ben W J MolDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8337-550X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPost-partum haemorrhage (PPH) is a common complication of labour.

objectiveTo assess the effectiveness of oxytocin in comparison to no treatment for preventing PPH. SELECTION CRITERIA: Published and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing systemic oxytocin to placebo or no intervention for preventing PPH were included. We did not apply language restrictions. SEARCH STRATEGY: We identified RCTs from the Cochrane network meta-analysis on uterotonics for preventing PPH and updated the search via: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase via Ovid, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CINAHL Plus and clinicaltrials.gov. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: An Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. MAIN

resultsOf 14 eligible RCTs, four provided IPD (n = 4304; 51.7% received oxytocin and 48.4% received placebo or no intervention). Meta-analysis of IPD showed that oxytocin decreased the risk of PPH ≥ 500 mL (aOR 0.59; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.74) and PPH ≥ 1000 mL (aOR 0.51; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.80). Of 10 RCTs that did not share data, seven met trustworthiness criteria while three did not. Trustworthy IPD and aggregate data (AD) from RCTs meeting trustworthiness criteria (n = 6003) showed that oxytocin significantly reduced the rate of PPH ≥ 500 mL (aOR 0.53; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.62) and PPH ≥ 1000 mL (aOR 0.59; 95% CI 0.48 to 0.71). RCTs not meeting trustworthiness criteria reported a larger risk reduction of oxytocin for PPH ≥ 500 mL (n = 1027; aOR 0.37; 95% CI 0.03 to 4.03) and PPH ≥ 1000 mL (n = 1157; aOR 0.13; 95% CI 0.01 to 1.45).

conclusionsProphylactic oxytocin reduces the risk of PPH ≥ 500 mL and PPH ≥ 1000 mL compared to no treatment. Twenty-one percent of RCTs did not meet our pre-defined trustworthiness criteria, underlining the importance of integrity assessment in evidence synthesis.

Indexed as

OxytocicsOxytocinPostpartum HemorrhageFemaleHumansPregnancyRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeOxytocicsOxytocinmeta‐analysisoxytocinpostpartum haemorrhagerandomised controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID40665776
PMCPMC12676194

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.