Effect of Massive Progestational Hormone Treatment on the Parturient Human Uterus

Abstract

Clinical trials were designed to examine the question of whether progestational hormone treatment distinctly and predictably affects the already evolved spontaneous activity of the parturient human uterus. The specific question was whether a single massive dose of a potent progestational hormone predictably suppresses the activity of the parturient human uterus. 62 patients were in the completed study 38 controls and 24 hormone-treated patients. Only those patients were placed in the study group who displayed advanced spontaneous activity during early labor. After spontaneous activity had been recorded for 1 hour the patients received intramuscularly a single massive dose of a potent progestational hormone medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). The intraamniotic pressure was continuously measured after the administration of the hormone until the time of delivery. The difference at 5 and 10 hours after hormone treatment was statistically significant. The control curve had a slight upward tendency; the experimental curve a slight downward tendency. In that these curves represent averages the position of any single point along the curve is determined by the position of the majorty of points at this particular time. Thus the eventual acceleration of activity at the end of labor of the MPA-treated individual patients was masked by the low average activity of those women in whom acceleration had not yet occurred. Considering averages it appears that massive MPA treatment induced a slight and transient damping effect on uterine activity during early labor.