Safety and effectiveness of oral misoprostol versus oxytocin for labor induction in term pregnancy

The usual method for inducing labor in Iran is the use of oxytocin (Syntocinon). Oxytocin, however, has been shown to be less effective than misoprostol. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness and the safety of orally administered misoprostol for labor induction in term pregnant women and to compare it with intravenously infused oxytocin. This random clinical trial was carried out between 2009 and 2010. A total of 130 term pregnant women whom were candidate for vaginal delivery assessed for eligibility to enter the study and randomly assigned into one of two groups according to the method of treatment, misoprostol or oxytocin. The misoprostol was prescribed orally 25 µg every two hours. The oxytocin group received an infusion of 10 IU which was gradually increased. The time from induction to delivery, induction to the beginning of the active phase, successful inductions within 12, 18, and 24 hours and caesarean section indication were recorded Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 16.0 presented with Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square and t-test. Failure of induction, leading to caesarean section was 32.3% and 63.1% in misoprostol versus oxytocin groups respectively. The mean time intervals from induction to active phase and labor in misoprostol group were significantly greater than oxytocin group. Maternal (except gastrointestinal problem) and fetal complications were not comparable between the two groups. Misoprostol is as a safe drug as oxytocin with low complications for the induction of labor.