Breast
stimulation does not appear to be a more effective method for inducing labor than
synthetic oxytocin.
During breast and nipple stimulation oxytocin is released from the brain which results in uterine contractions.
Because these contractions can sometimes be strong enough to cause a
serious drop in the fetal heart rate the practice of breast or nipple stimulation for the purpose of labor
induction is not recommended in an unmonitored setting (especially in women
with high risk pregnancies).
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REFERENCES
1.
Christensson K,et. al.,Effect of nipple stimulation on uterine activity and on plasma levels of
oxytocin in full term, healthy, pregnant women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1989;68(3):205-10.
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2618602
2.
Viegas OA, et. al, Intrauterine responses to nipple stimulation in late pregnancy.
Gynecol Obstet Invest. 1986;22(3):128-33.
PMID:
3781343
3. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 107: Induction of labor.ACOG
Committee on Practice Bulletins -- Obstetrics.Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Aug;114(2 Pt
1):386-97. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181b48ef5. PMID:
19623003
4 Mozurkewich EL, et. al., Methods of induction of labour: a systematic review.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2011 Oct 27;11:84. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-11-84PMID:
22032440
5. Kavanagh J, Kelly AJ, Thomas J.Breast stimulation for cervical ripening and
induction of labour.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 Jul 20;(3):CD003392. Review. PMID:
16034897