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Effect of intramuscular administration of dexamethasone on the duration of labor
Author(s) -
Kashanian Maryam,
Dadkhah Farideh,
Mokhtari Fattaneh
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.04.009
Subject(s) - dexamethasone , medicine , placebo , duration (music) , anesthesia , alternative medicine , pathology , art , literature
Objective To evaluate the effect of dexamethasone administration on labor duration. Method In this controlled trial 122 nulliparous women with a full‐term pregnancy and a Bishop score of 7 or greater were randomly assigned to receive a single 8‐mg dose of dexamethasone or placebo 6 hours before initiation of labor induction. Results The interval between initiation of labor induction and beginning of the active phase of labor was shorter in the dexamethasone than in the control group (3.09 ± 1.5 hours vs. 4.21 ± 1.8 hours; P = 0.001). The duration of the second stage of labor was also shorter in the dexamethasone group (22.23 ± 16.09 minutes vs. 29.01 ± 15.32 minutes; P = 0.014). Conclusion The administration of dexamethasone was found to shorten labor duration.