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Updated: May 12, 2026

Contractility Measurements of Human Uterine Smooth Muscle to Aid Drug Development
Published on: January 26, 2018
[Oxytocin administration during labor. Results from the 2010 French National Perinatal Survey]
1Inserm UMR S953, unité de recherche épidémiologique en santé périnatale et santé des femmes et des enfants, maternité Port-Royal, 53, avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France; Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris 6, 75005 Paris, France.
Objectives:
To estimate the frequency of oxytocin administration during labor, in all women in labor, in low-risk women, and in women with a previous cesarean delivery. Our objectives were also to identify characteristics of women and of maternity units associated with this practice in France.
Population And Method:
Analysis of the 2010 French Perinatal Survey data (n=14,681 women who delivered in continental France). The frequency of oxytocin administration during labor was estimated in all women in labor (n=12,845) and in low-risk women (n=9798). The independent associations between oxytocin administration during labor and characteristics of women and units were quantified with multivariate logistic regression modeling.
Results:
Sixty-four percent of laboring women received oxytocin during labor, and 58% of women with a spontaneous onset of labor. In the population of low-risk women with spontaneous labor and epidural, nulliparity and over-weight, as well as the private status and small size of the maternity unit, were independently associated with a more frequent administration of oxytocin during labor.
Conclusion:
Oxytocin administration during labor is very frequent in France, probably beyond classical indications.
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