Pitocin, the drug for labor induction that is most often given

What is pitocin?

Pitocin is a liquid drug which is a synthetic form of oxytocin. Oxytocin itself is a hormone that the body produces naturally to trigger the uterus to contract.

This medication is often used to induce labor and control bleeding after childbirth. Not only that, this drug can also be used to stimulate uterine contractions in women who are threatened with miscarriage or have had a miscarriage.

Even so, the use of this drug is not always needed at every birth. The reason is, labor induction is only done when the baby's condition is more at risk of remaining in the womb. Usually the doctor will give pitocin if the patient is in certain circumstances such as:

Gestational age is approaching 42 weeks, but no contractions have occurred.
The amniotic sac has ruptured but you are not experiencing contractions.
You have an infection of the uterus or chorioamnionitis
The baby in the womb has stopped growing
Little or insufficient amniotic fluid surrounds the baby (oligohydramnios)
The placenta starts to deteriorate
You have placental abruption
You have a history of stillbirths in previous pregnancies
You have a medical condition that puts you and your baby at risk, such as hypertension, preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes
If epidural anesthesia actually slows down the labor process, and induction is needed to continue the labor process.

How does this drug work?

To induce labor, the drug pitocin is usually injected by a nurse into a vein through an IV. Then not long after, these hormones in your body will bind to receptors in the uterus which then activate the uterine muscles to encourage contractions. Now, these contractions will gradually make the cervix (the cervix or the channel through which the baby exits from the womb to the vagina) opens / widened so that the baby can move to push his body through the birth canal.

The nurse may increase the pitocin dose every half hour or so according to the patient's needs. In essence, the nurse will gradually increase the dose of pitocin until you have regular contractions every 2-3 minutes.

What are the side effects of pitocin?

Like most other drugs, pitocin can also be potentially dangerous if not administered and monitored properly. This medicine will indeed trigger the contractions necessary for labor, but excessive uterine contractions can also occur. If this happens, this will certainly harm your baby.

The reason is, every contraction that a woman feels before childbirth will press on the blood vessels so that it can reduce the blood supply to the placenta. In fact, the baby's oxygen needs depend on the mother's blood flow to the placenta. Well, that's why excessive contractions can increase the risk of the baby being deprived of oxygen, thus making the baby's heart rate weaken.

Apart from the occurrence of excessive contractions, there are several other side effects of pitocin drugs, namely:

Bleeding after childbirth. Labor induction can also increase the risk of your uterine muscles having bad contractions after childbirth (uterine atony). This causes serious bleeding after delivery.
Infection. The risk of infection in both mother and baby increases when you get labor induction.
Uterine rupture. Although very rare, pitocin also has the potential to cause uterine rupture or a tear in the uterine wall if the contractions are too strong. This applies to women who have previously had a cesarean section and then tried to give birth normally, this risk can increase by about 1.5 percent.
Caesarean section. A C-section is needed when labor induction is not working on you, especially if you have never given birth before and your cervix is not ready for labor.
Fluid retention. Another potential side effect is water buildup. This happens because pitocin is similar in structure to ADH, which is an antidiuretic hormone. Well, if given in excessive doses, this can cause fluid buildup in the body.
More painful contractions. Although it is difficult to assess objectively, many women report experiencing more painful contractions when using labor induction drugs. Even so, these side effects may vary from person to person because they will depend on how you respond to this drug.