Ss. George et al., CERVICAL RIPENING INDUCES LABOR THROUGH INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 33(3), 1993, pp. 285-286
In order to study the Interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) levels in mechanica
l cervical ripening with Foley catheter, IL-1beta levels in amniotic f
luid of 12 women before and after cervical ripening were compared with
those in 23 women in spontaneous active labour. IL-1beta was present
in 81.8% of patients after cervical ripening and in none prior to it.
In women with spontaneous labour 69.6% had immunodetectable IL-1beta.
Women with spontaneous labour and those sampled after cervical ripenin
g had similar IL-1beta levels in the amniotic fluid. Cervical ripening
with Foley catheter is associated with high levels of IL-1beta and th
is probably induces labour.