Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
What You Should Know About Pitocin
What is Pitocin?
Before you allow your physician to order Pitocin to jumpstart your contractions, you need to be aware of some of the birth injury risks associated with this hormone. Pitocin is the brand name for King Pharmaceuticals' synthetic oxytocin.
What is Oxytocin?
Oxytocin is a hormone involved in the labor process. It is a naturally produced hormone that leads to feelings of calmness and love.
It is believed that when an expectant mother is given the synthetic version, it causes her body to stop producing her own oxytocin, as the body sends signals to the brain to stop producing the hormone.
When the synthetic hormone is injected into a woman's body, it is supposed to result in uterine contractions and may initiate labor, speed up slow labor or stop bleeding after the baby is born.
Risk of Birth Injuries Due to Use of Pitocin
While Pitocin is generally effective in assisting with the labor process, it does carry some significant risk of injuries, especially if there is excessive use of this hormone.
Women who have been given Pitocin have reported that the contractions are more painful than natural contractions. Contractions tend to be long when Pitocin is used and many expectant mothers are forced to consider pain medication to help manage the intense discomfort.
Fetal monitoring is critical when the mother is given Pitocin. The mother must also be monitored to identify any complications.
Some of the serious risks of Pitocin include the following:
- Rupture of the uterus
- Fetal asphyxia
- Depressed fetal heart rate patterns
- Fetal distress
- Dystocia
If you believe that your child suffered a birth injury from a Pitocin overdose, you need to contact an experienced Boston birth injury lawyer who will review your case for free. Contact the Kiley Law Group at 888-208-1695 today.
We are experienced in representing birth injury cases, including cerebral palsy and other serious injuries.
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