Comparison of the Effect of Simultaneous Administration of Oxytocin with Foley Catheter with co-Administration of Misoprostol and Foley Catheter on Cervical Preparation and Duration of labor in Prolonged Pregnancies

Backgrounds: One of the most important issues in obstetrics is the induction of labor. Induction is indicated when the benefits to either mother or fetus outweigh those of pregnancy continuation. Post term pregnancy is one of the most common indications. Timely induction of labor can reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and ensure healthy baby delivery. The success of labor induction depends on the condition of the cervix at the time of labor induction. There are several ways to prepare the cervix: such as the mechanical factors and the administration of prostaglandins and oxytocin, but there is no consensus on the best method.Material and method: In a randomized trial, pregnant women with singleton pregnancy and gestational age greater than 40 weeks with no past medical history and less than 5 bishop score at admission time and intact membranes, were randomized into two groups for foley catheter and oxytocin, or Foley catheter and Misoprostol. The primary goal was cervical preparation and delivery in the first 24 hours.The second goal was investigation of type of delivery, Foley catheter expulsion time and maternal and neonatal complications.Result:74 pregnant women were randomly allocated into two groups of 37. Maternal delivery rate was significantly different in the first 24 hours and was higher in the oxytocin group (oxytocin: 34 vs misoprostol: 25, P-value = 0.009). The time to the active phase was shorter in oxytocin group (misoprostol: 16.32 hours vs oxytocin: 11.04 hours, p-value = 0.01).The incidence of complications in the two groups revealed no significant difference.Conclusion: Oxytocin can be more effective than misoprostol in the preparation of cervix, and increases the amount of delivery in the first 24 hours. Given that oxytocin is cheaper and available, it can be a good option for the preparation of cervix