new Study Suggests โขoral Misoprostol May reduce Postpartum Hemorrhage Risk in Late-Term Pregnancies
A recent study โฃpublished in BMC Pregnancy andโ Childbirth indicates that โlow-dose โoralโข misoprostol may beโฃ associated with a lower risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) compared to oxytocinโ when used for labor โinduction in โwomen โคwith premature rupture of membranes (PROM) at or beyond โข36 weeks of โgestation. Researchers found that misoprostol administration correlated with a significantly reduced likelihood โof PPH (aOR =โ 0.42, 95%โ CI:โ 0.23 to 0.76, p*โ < 0.01).
The study compared outcomes of โlabor โคinduction using either oral misoprostol or oxytocin infusion in a cohort of pregnant women experiencing PROM at โฅ36 weeks. While height (aOR:โข 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.15, *p < 0.01)โ and Bishop score (aOR: โ1.25, 95% โCI: 1.02 to 1.54, p* = โ0.03) wereโ positively associated with successful vaginal delivery, higher pregestationalโ BMI โฃ(aOR: โ0.86, 95% CI:โ 0.75 to 0.99, *p = 0.03) and gestational weeks (aOR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50โฃ to โ0.94, p* = 0.02) were negatively associated with it.
Further โanalysis revealed differing risk factorsโ for failed induction of labor depending on the drug used. In the oxytocin group, in-vitro fertilization/embryo transfer (IVF-ET)โ (aOR: 4.46, 95% CI: 1.39 to 14.18,*P = 0.01) and high birth weightโค (aOR: โ1.002, 95% CI: 1.000 to 1.004, P* = โ0.02) โฃwere notable risk factors.โข conversely, inโฃ the โmisoprostol group, a low Bishop score (aOR: 0.65,โข 95% โฃCI: 0.43 to 0.96, *P โค = 0.03) andโ early gestational โคage (aOR: 0.65, 95% CI: โ0.43 to 0.96, P* =โข 0.03)โ increased the risk of failed induction. Higher pregestational BMI (aOR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00 to โข1.20, *p = 0.04) wasโ associated with failed induction overall.