The neurohypophysial peptide oxytocin (OT) and OT-like hormones facilitate reproduction in
all vertebrates at several levels. The major site of OT gene expression is the magnocellular …

Labor is the physiologic process by which a fetus is expelled from the uterus to the outside
world. Labor is defined as an increase in myometrial activity or, more precisely, a switch in …

The mechanisms involved in human pregnancy maintenance and parturition are highly
complex and involve mother, fetus and placenta. The “final common pathway” to delivery is …

The transition from pregnancy into parturition is physiologically directed by maternal, fetal
and placental tissues. We hypothesize that these processes may be reflected in maternal …

The myometrium must remain relatively quiescent during pregnancy to accommodate
growth and development of the feto-placental unit, and then must transform into a highly …

Oxytocin has been used for many years in obstetric practice for the induction and
augmentation of labour, and for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage (Zeeman et al …

At term, the signals of fetal maturity and feto-placental tissue aging prompt uterine readiness
for delivery by transitioning quiescent myometrium to an active stage. It is still unclear how …

Progesterone is a sex steroid hormone that plays a critical role in the establishment and
maintenance of pregnancy. This hormone drives numerous maternal physiological …

Labor refers to the chain of physiologic events that allows a fetus to undertake its journey
from the uterus to the outside world. The mean duration of a singleton pregnancy is 40.0 …

Progesterone is a steroid hormone that plays an integral role in each step of human
pregnancy. In early pregnancy, progesterone produced by the corpus luteum is critical to the …