Effect of 9-deoxo-16,16-dimethyl-9-methylene-prostaglandin E₂ vaginal gel on the tissues of the pregnant unripe cervix at term

Summary

Summary

The 9-deoxo-16,16-dimethyl-9-methylene analogue of prostaglandin E, possesses many beneficial properties that makes it a potential candidate as a cervical ripening agent. Twenty pregnant women at term with unripe cervices (Bishop scores C2) were studied. A gel with 1 mg of the analogue was instilled vaginally in 10 women; the other 10 women were controls. Cervical biopsies were taken before and 6 hours after giving the gel, and at comparable times in the controls. After gel administration, the densely packed collagen bundles were broken into smaller fibrils and became loosely arranged and widely separated by abundant ground substance and clear spaces. These changes closely resemble the spontaneous physiological alterations in cervical tissues associated with ripening.