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Can nipple stimulation induce labor ?

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. PMID: 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

 

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