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Re: One more reference on Cytotec & Pit
From: chris (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon, 15 Feb 1999 08:24:41 -0600 (CST)
Amy,
What is the difference between Pitocin and Cytotec? Are they the same or
work the same? Thanks
At Sun, 14 Feb 1999, Amy wrote:
>
>Sorry, I forgot this in the previous post, but it is also worth
>considering. Marshal Klaus is an MD, and author of several books about
>bonding, doulas, etc. This and the references on the previous posts
>come from people on birth-related mailing lists:
>
>Here are two points I can't document, but you might ask a medical
>librarian (or run a medline) to find out about.
>At the l997 DONA conference, Marshall Klaus MD spoke about the
>difference in the mother's experience when she is producing a lot of her
>own oxytocin, vs. when she's receiving oxytocin from outside her body.
>Endogenous oxytocin is produced in the pituitary gland in the brain, and
>although much of it goes out into the bloodstream and makes
>contractions, some of it stays in the brain and raises the woman's pain
>threshold. Pretty convenient system, as her body makes more
>contractions and they get more painful, her pain threshold rises.
>Aritificial oxytocin - Pitocin - goes in thru a vein and can't cross the
>blood brain barrier, so the mom gets more pain without raising her pain
>threshold. Ow.
>About cytotec, a nurse-midwife friend told me she won't use cytotec on a
>mom who'se working toward a VBAC. Cytotec is thought to soften
>collagen. It's used to soften the cervix for inductions, but the mom's
>circulation to her cervix is so close to her circulation to her cesarean
>scar, my friend would rather not chance the cytotec softening her scar
>too.
>
>--
>Amy
>Provisional Birthworks Childbirth Educator
>Provisional Birthworks Doula
>
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