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Cyclic fluctuations were studied in the activity of oxidoreductases playing a role in the major energy metabolic pathways, lysosomal and non-lysosomal hydrolases and some non-enzymatic cytochemical components demonstrable in different developmental physiological or pathophysiological phases of human endometrium. The total scope of the study involved 170 tissues and cytological specimens. The cytological material included microcurettings, aspirates, brush preparations and tissue prints. An evaluation of the usefulness of the application of enzyme cytochemistry to cytological material is included. The most important results were a cyclic fluctuation and a progestagenic controlled increase in the activity of many oxidoreductases, especially the NADPH regenerating enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, and of the NADP+ dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase. The histochemical evaluation of the activity of these NADP+ linked enzymes can therefore be recommended for the evaluation of the physiological status of the endometrial cells, especially in patients with infertility problems.

Summary Labour was induced with repeated intramuscular injections of 125 or 250 μg of a 15‐methyl analogue of prostaglandin F2α (15‐me‐PGF2α) in 97 women harbouring a dead fetus for 1 to 42 days in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. The 24‐hour cumulative expulsion rate was 93 per cent in 35 nulliparae and 95 per cent in 61 multiparae in whom labour was successfully induced. There was one failure in a parous patient. The median time interval between the first injection and delivery was significantly longer in nulliparae (10.4 hours) than in parous women (7.3 hours). There were no important differences in efficacy or side effects between the 125 and the 250 μg dosage scheme. No serious complications occurred, but gastrointestinal side effects were prominent. It is concluded that these side effects are compensated for by the simplicity, efficacy and safety of the procedure.

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