Oxytocin to strengthen contractions
Common, useful, and it changes the monitor.
Synthetic oxytocin through a drip makes contractions stronger and more regular. It is used both to start labor and to strengthen a labor already under way.
Contractions that come too close together leave the baby less recovery time between them, which is why the dose is adjusted against the monitor rather than simply increased. If you are told the drip is being turned down, that is the reason.
Note from the section above that routine four-hourly internal examinations were associated with more augmentation than examining only when indicated. Interventions tend to arrive in sequence.
Where this comes from:
174. Moncrieff G, Gyte GML, Dahlen HG, Thomson G, Singata-Madliki M, Clegg A, et al. Routine vaginal examinations compared to other methods for assessing progress of labour to improve outcomes for women and babies at term. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;(3):CD010088.
182. Caughey AB, Cahill AG, Guise JM, Rouse DJ. Safe prevention of the primary cesarean delivery. Obstetric Care Consensus No. 1. Obstet Gynecol. 2014;123(3):693-711. Withdrawn; replaced by ACOG Clinical Practice Guideline No. 8, Obstet Gynecol. 2024;143(1):144-162.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.