Efficacy of outpatient induction with low-dose intravaginal prostaglandin E2: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Inducing labor by using a vaginal prostaglandin suppository may reduce the risk of complications and allow this procedure to be done on an outpatient basis. Researchers treated 100 women attending an outpatient clinic who were between 38 and 40 weeks pregnant with a vaginal suppository once a day for five days. Fifty women received 2 milligram prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) suppositories and 50 received a placebo. The women were placed on a fetal monitor 10 minutes before they received the suppository and at least 30 minutes after. The median time to delivery in the women receiving PGE2 was 4 days compared to 10 days in the women receiving a placebo. Twenty-six percent of the women receiving PGE2 were admitted for labor after the first dose, compared to 8% of those receiving a placebo. By the end of 5 days, 54% of the women receiving PGE2 were admitted for labor, compared to 20% in the placebo group.