Intra-uterine pressure and the active management of labour

Summary

Intra-uterine pressure was measured in 40 primigravi-dae in spontaneous labour at term. Labour was conducted according to a standard protocol. Intra-uterine pressure values were calculated in Montevideo units and correlated with the progress of labour in terms of cervical dilatation. The mean intra-uterine pressure tended to be higher in the group receiving oxytocin than in the group progressing without oxytocin at equal cervical dilatation but no statistical difference was demonstrated. There is no evidence in this study that intra-uterine pressures generated by oxytocin in the active management of labour are excessive.