RT Book, Section
A1 Coleman, Christina M.
A1 Flood, Pamela
A2 Santos, Alan C.
A2 Epstein, Jonathan N.
A2 Chaudhuri, Kallol
SR Print(0)
ID 1108522328
T1 Progress of Labor and Delivery
T2 Obstetric Anesthesia
YR 2015
FD 2015
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071786133
LK accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1108522328
RD 2024/04/18
AB Labor  is  defined  as  repeated  uterine  contractions  that  result  in  the  dilation  and  effacement  of  the  uterine  cervix  causing  the  fetus  to  be  expelled.  The  mechanisms  that  initiate  labor  are  not  completely  known.  However,  it  is  clear  that  preparation  for  labor  begins  long  before  with  changes  in  the  cervix  that  include  ingrowth  of  C-type  pain  fibers1,2  and  infiltration  of  inflammatory  cells,  including  neutrophils  and  macrophages.3  These  inflammatory  cells  release  cytokines  that  result  in  softening  of  the  cervix  in  preparation  for  labor.