624
P A R T 7
Drugs acting on the reproductive system
■■
Oxytocic drugs act like the hypothalamic hormone
oxytocins to stimulate uterine contractions and induce
or speed up labour and to control bleeding and
promote postpartum involution of the uterus.
■■
Prostaglandins are drugs that stimulate uterine activity
to cause uterine evacuation. These drugs can be used to
induce termination in early pregnancy or to promote
uterine evacuation after intrauterine fetal death.
■■
Tocolytics are drugs that relax the uterine smooth
muscle; they are used to stop premature labour in
women after 20 weeks of gestation.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
■■
Oestrogens are primarily used pharmacologically:
to replace hormones lost at menopause to reduce the
signs and symptoms associated with menopause, to
stimulate ovulation in women with hypogonadism
and in combination with progestogens for oral
contraceptives.
■■
Progestogens, which include progesterone and all
of its derivatives, are female sex hormones that are
responsible for the maintenance of a pregnancy and for
the development of some secondary sex characteristics.
■■
Progestogens are used in combination with
oestrogens for contraception, to treat uterine bleeding
and for palliation in certain cancers with sensitive
receptor sites.
■■
Fertility drugs stimulate FSH and LH in women with
functioning ovaries to increase follicle development
and improve the chances for pregnancy.
■■
A major adverse effect of fertility drugs is multiple
births and birth defects.
■■
Oxytocic drugs act like the hypothalamic hormone
oxytocins to stimulate uterine contractions and
induce or speed up labour and to control bleeding
and promote postpartum involution of the uterus.
■■
Prostaglandins are drugs that stimulate uterine
activity to cause uterine evacuation. These drugs can
be used to induce labour at term, induce termination
in early pregnancy or to promote uterine evacuation
after intrauterine fetal death.
■■
Tocolytics are drugs that relax the uterine smooth
muscle; they are used to stop premature labour in
women after 20 weeks of gestation.
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KEY POINTS
ONLINE RESOURCES
An extensive range of additional resources to enhance teaching
and learning and to facilitate understanding of this chapter may
be found online at the text’s accompanying website, located on
thePoint at
These include Watch and
Learn videos, Concepts in Action animations, journal articles,
review questions, case studies, discussion topics and quizzes.
WEB LINKS
Healthcare providers and students may want to explore
the following Internet sources:
Content/national+womens+health-1
Department of Health and Ageing, Australia. National
Women’s Health Policy.
New Zealand Menopause Institute.
/
The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health.
/
clinical-resources/clinical-guidelines-gps
The Royal Women’s Hospital. Clinical Practice
Guidelines.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Campbell, P. & Pickard, S. (2007). Prescribing and advising on oral
contraception.
Nurse Prescribing, 5(1)
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Medical-Surgical Nursing
(3rd edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.
Fehring, R. (2004). The future of professional education in natural
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Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and
Neonatal Nursing, 33
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Goodman, L. S., Brunton, L. L., Chabner, B. & Knollmann, B. C.
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Heiss, G., Wallace, R., Anderson, G. L., Aragaki, A.,
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Kass-Wolff, J. H. & Fisher, J. E. (2011). Menopause and the
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McKenna, L. (2012).
Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy
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McKenna, L. & Mirkov, S. (2014).
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