The Use of Castor Oil as a Labor Initiator in Post-date Pregnancies

Prolonged Pregnancy Clinical Trial

Official title: The Use of Castor Oil as a Labor Initiator in Post-date Pregnancies

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of the study is to determine whether castor oil is effective in inducing labor.

Clinical Trial Description

Castor oil is traditionally given by midwives in order to induce labor. Its efficacy as an initiator of labor was previously tested only in one clinical trial. Unfortunately this study (by Garry et al.) was not sufficiently controlled.

We intent to recruit 84 healthy pregnant women with no contraindication to vaginal delivery that had past their due date. Women will be randomly and blindly divided into equal sized intervention group and control group. Intervention group will be given 60 mL of castor oil in 140 mL of orange juice, while control group will be given a placebo with similar texture. Primary outcome to be tested is the percentage of women entering active labor within 24 hours of administration. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Pregnancy, Prolonged
• Prolonged Pregnancy

• NCT number: NCT00244738
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Hadassah Medical Organization
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: February 2006
• Completion date: September 2010