title: Pharmacologic methods for cervical ripening and labor induction.
abstract: Evidence from the obstetric literature suggests that the frequency of labor induction is increasing. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of labor induction has more than doubled during the past 10 years: from 9% in 1989 to 19.9% in 2000. As labor induction has become more widely used in recent years, the number of medications used for preinduction cervical ripening has expanded greatly. In this article, we review the evidence-based literature assessing the safety and efficacy of the most common cervical ripening and labor induction agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Florida Health Science Center, 653-1 West 8th Street, Jacksonville 32209, USA. luis.sanchez@jax.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Ramos
authors.forename: Evaleen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D020070:Cervical Ripening / Q000187:drug effects*; D015232:Dinoprostone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007751:Labor, Induced; D016595:Misoprostol; D010120:Oxytocics; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D010120:Oxytocics; D016595:Misoprostol; D015232:Dinoprostone