While both atosiban and hexoprenaline are effective for halting uterine contractions during fetal distress, atosiban seems to cause fewer maternal adverse events, faster resumption of contractions (8 vs. 14 minutes, respectively), and can be given faster as an IV bolus (1 vs. 5 minutes, respectively), according to a prospective, randomized pilot trial.
Austrian researchers studied 1,431 women with singleton, cephalic presentation, term pregnancies. Tocolysis was achieved in 92% of the atosiban group and in 100% of the hexoprenaline group. Only one woman in the atosiban group showed no reaction to the drug, which could be due to the fact that the drug was administered during the second stage of labor; all other women receiving the agent received it during the first stage.
Afschar P, Scholl W, Bader A, et al. A prospective randomized trial of atosiban versus hexoprenaline for acute tocolysis and intrauterine resuscitation. BJOG. 2004;111:316-318.
Low recurrence found after uterine rupture in pregnancy
May 17th 2025A new study presented at the 2025 ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting found that while recurrent uterine rupture is rare, patients with a history of rupture face a significantly increased subsequent risk of preterm delivery.
Read More
Self-screening tool for medication abortion found accurate and acceptable
May 17th 2025A new study presented at the 2025 ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting reveals that a self-screening survey with educational videos enables most patients to determine medication abortion eligibility without an ultrasound.
Read More