Objective To compare concurrent oxytocin with dinoprostone pessary versus dinoprostone pessary in labour induction for nulliparas with an unfavourable cervix.Design A randomised double-blind study.Setting University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia.Population Nulliparas at term with intact membranes, Bishop score £ 6 and admitted for labour induction.Methods All women received 3 mg dinoprostone pessary for labour induction. Those randomised to the oxytocin arm received oxytocin infusion started at 1 mu/minute and doubled every 30 minutes to a maximum 16 mu/minute. Women assigned to placebo received identical volume of saline infusion. After 6 hours, infusion was stopped and vaginal reassessment performed to guide further management. Conclusions Labour induction with concurrent oxytocin infusion and vaginal dinoprostone could be considered for nulliparas with an unfavourable cervix. Larger studies are needed.

The exogenous HCG regimes used in this study successfully mimicked the hormonal environment found in biochemical, single and multiple pregnancies and elicited appropriate corpus luteum responses.

These data show that the qualitative and quantitative response of corpus luteum to an early pregnancy-type hCG signal is maximal around the midluteal phase, coincident with the time of implantation.