Medical expert of the article
New publications
Preparations
Oxytocin for abortion
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
The neurohormone oxytocin, secreted by the hypothalamus and stored in axons of the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, was used to terminate pregnancy in the second half of the last century - after it was synthesized chemically. Although as a stimulant of labor, which plays a central role in the regulation of labor, he was known much earlier.
[Instructions for oxytocin for abortion
In the official instruction for oxytocin, there seems to be no provision for termination of pregnancy for a suitable formulation, so they limited ourselves to the phrase that the drug can be used to perform artificial, drug-induced premature births - a method of interrupting a difficult or complicated pregnancy for a long time (after the 20th week).
Oxytocin is used in obstetric-gynecological practice as a uterotonic agent for stimulation of prolonged labor; reduction of bleeding after delivery in cases of hypotension of myometrium; activation of excretion from the uterine cavity of postpartum discharges (lochia) and residues after miscarriage; to improve the contractions of the uterus (involution) muscles after natural delivery and caesarean section. Also used after gynecological operations to stop uterine bleeding.
Oxytocin is available under various trade names (Synthocinon, Synthocin, Sinpatine, Ipofamin, Orastin, Pitocin, Utedrin, etc.), and they are all produced in the form of a solution for parenteral use, since this substance is destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, it must be injected.
Resistant to the action of enzymes, that is, stabilized oxytocin in tablets for abortion is represented by the analog preparation Dezaminoksitotsinom (synonyms Demoksitocin and Sandopart). It is used buccally: the tablet is held behind the cheek until it completely dissolves.
The use of oxytocin for abortion: how it works
The use of oxytocin for abortion is permissible on terms up to 4-5 obstetric weeks - up to the middle of the embryonic period. Under the conditions of a normally developing pregnancy, by the end of the term, not only the content of oxytocin in the blood plasma increases, but also the number of its receptors in the muscular tissue of the uterus, because in pregnant women it is synthesized in the ovaries, in the uterus and even in the membranes. The stimulating effect of this neurohormone on the smooth muscles of the uterus leads to the onset of labor, it also provides contractions during the whole process of the birth of the child.
The biochemical mechanism of synthetic oxytocin, administered early in pregnancy, is based on its natural stimulating effect on the specific receptors of contractile proteins of actomyosin in the muscles of the uterine membrane, primarily by increasing the release of intracellular calcium ions that "include" the contractile apparatus of myometrium muscle cells.
Intravenous injections of oxytocin to interrupt pregnancy cause an immediate response to the uterus, the contractions of which subsided in 1-1.5 hours. After intramuscular introduction, the muscles of the uterus begin to contract after 5 minutes, with a gradual weakening and fading of the fights within 2-3 hours. Medical abortion is carried out only by a medical institution and only under the supervision of physicians, who must make sure that the pregnancy is interrupted (that is, the fetal egg completely left the uterine cavity). Naturally, the dosage of oxytocin for the termination of pregnancy is determined by the doctor, since the dose depends on the frequency of uterine contractions, and their duration.
It should be borne in mind that oxytocin has side effects in the form of increasing heart rate, increasing or decreasing blood pressure, nausea and vomiting, cerebral circulatory disorders (up to hemorrhage), bronchospasm and anaphylactic shock.
Women who have abnormalities of the development of the uterus, fibroids, scars on the neck (after surgery), ectopic pregnancy, as well as violations of the adrenal cortex, medical abortion, including with oxytocin, is contraindicated.
To date, reviews about oxytocin for abortion are almost non-existent, since in recent years in obstetrics and gynecology for this purpose, tablet preparations based on prostaglandins E2 or F2α - endogenous biologically active substances responsible for uterine contraction are used.
The price of oxytocin for abortion depends on the manufacturer and varies from 13-15 UAH. For domestic drug up to 50 UAH. And above - for the import.
Attention!
To simplify the perception of information, this instruction for use of the drug "Oxytocin for abortion" translated and presented in a special form on the basis of the official instructions for medical use of the drug. Before use read the annotation that came directly to medicines.
Description provided for informational purposes and is not a guide to self-healing. The need for this drug, the purpose of the treatment regimen, methods and dose of the drug is determined solely by the attending physician. Self-medication is dangerous for your health.