Hormone-Like Gel Leads to Speedier Deliveries.

• Position: Health

Use of a special medical gel, placed into the cervix of a pregnant woman, can enhance the natural birth process by shortening both the time until labor begins and the time to delivery, research at Ohio State University, Columbus, suggests. Thirty women received the gel--called prostaglandin [E.sub.2]--and waited an average of two and a half days before delivering, while 31 women got a placebo and waited an average of seven days. On average, the women in the [PGE.sub.2] group spent three hours less in labor.

The findings suggest that [PGE.sub.2] may be helpful for women who are having problem pregnancies and who are candidates to have labor induced. "The real application of [PGE.sub.2] is in potentially preventing the need for induced labor in problem pregnancies. It might also reduce the need for some Caesarean sections," suggests Philip Samuels, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that affect body processes such as temperature and metabolism. They also stimulate...