Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about drugs in labor.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash drugs or in the labor and delivery section of the zero to to Finals, Obstetrics and Kynacology

book. So let's get straight into it. There are numerous medications that may be used during

labor. Here we're going to cover the main ones to clarify what they are, how they work and when they're used.

Let's start by talking about oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a hormone that's secreted by the posterior pituitary gland.

It's produced in the hypothalamus, but it travels to the pituitary before it's

released into the general circulation. Oxytocin has several effects on mood and social interactions

in everyday life, but it also plays a key role in labour and delivery. Oxytocin stimulates the ripening of the cervix, preparing the cervix for delivery,

and it stimulates contractions of the uterus during labour and delivery. It also plays a key role

in lactation during breastfeeding. Infusions of oxytocin are used to induce labour, progress

labour, improve the frequency and strength of uterine contractions, and to prevent or treat

postpartum hemorrhage. Sintocinon is a brand name for oxytocin produced by one particular drug company.

Atosiban is an oxytocin receptor antagonist, meaning that it blocks oxytocin receptors,

and it's used as tocholysis in premature labor. By blocking the action of oxytocin receptors, and it's used as tokylysis in premature labor. By blocking the action of

oxytocin, it reduces uterine contractions and puts a stop to premature labor. Atosaban is used as an

alternative to nephedapine when nephedapine is contraindicated, and we'll talk about nephedopine in more detail a bit

later. Next, let's talk about ergometrine. Ergometrine is derived from ergot plants. It stimulates

smooth muscle contraction both in the uterus and blood vessels.

This makes it useful for delivery of the placenta and to reduce postpartum bleeding.

It may be used during the third stage of labour, which is delivery of the placenta,

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