LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Oxytocin: Contractions
built 633 days ago
Oxytocin is ... responsible for milk ejection during breastfeeding, by contraction of the myoepithelial cells in the lactating mammary gland. The uterine "cramping" that often occurs with breastfeeding is a signal that oxytocin is still causing the uterus to contract after delivery. These contractions help the uterine muscle to continue to constrict the uterine blood vessels, and bring about a decrease in the amount of vaginal bleeding after delivery.
Source:
Oxytocin is for injection into a muscle or infusion into a vein. It is given by a health-care professional in a hospital or clinic setting where uterine contractions, mother's blood pressure and mother's and baby's heart rates can be monitored regularly, and where emergency measures can be taken immediately, if needed.
USES: Oxytocin is a hormone used during the late stage of pregnancy to induce labor (contractions). It is often used to induce labor in difficult pregnancies or pregnancies at risk for complications (e.g., preeclampsia, eclampsia, diabetes).
Source:
- Oxytocin is considered to be contraindicated in animals with dystocia due to abnormal presentation of fetus(es), unless correction is made. When used prepartum, oxytocin should be used only when the cervix is relaxed naturally or by the prior administration of estrogens (Note: Most clinicians avoid the use of estrogens, as natural relaxation is a better indicator for the proper time to induce contractions).
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Contractions