Regulation of human myometrial contractility during pregnancy and labour: are calcium homeostatic pathways important?

If we are to develop new strategies for the treatment and management of pre term and dysfunctional term labour, it is imperative that e improve current understanding of the control of human uterine activity. Despite many studi es of animal pregnancy, there is a paucity of knowledge relating to the com plex control of human myometrium during pregnancy. It is hypothesized that human myometrium is relatively quiescent during the majority of pregnancy a nd that as term approaches there is cascade of molecular events that prepar e the uterus for labour. This review,ill consider the cellular mechanisms i nvolved in the regulation of human myometrial activity and the modulation o f these by hormonal and mechanical signals. In particular, the contribution of calcium homeostatic pathways to the control of human myometrial contrac tility during gestation will be discussed.