Uterine responses to three techniques of breast stimulation.
Uterine contractions produced by three methods of breast stimulation and a placebo were compared in 202 high-risk women between 35 and 44 weeks' gestation during contraction stress tests. Manual stimulation produced significantly more successful responses of three or more contractions within ten minutes than did a heating pad or a placebo, but did not show significant differences when compared with a breast pump. The placebo group showed an increase in contractions over a resting state. Of the women with successful contraction stress tests, over 50% demonstrated exaggerated uterine activity (a hypertonic contraction of greater than 90 seconds, or five or more contractions in a ten-minute period).
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001940:Breast / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D010173:Palpation; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D010919:Placebos; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D013396:Suction / Q000295:instrumentation; D013997:Time Factors; D014590:Uterine Contraction
D010919:Placebos