Effect of intramuscular administration of dexamethasone on the duration of labor

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Abstract
To evaluate the effect of dexamethasone administration on labor duration. In this controlled trial 122 nulliparous women with a full-term pregnancy and a Bishop score of 7 or greater were randomly assigned to receive a single 8-mg dose of dexamethasone or placebo 6 hours before initiation of labor induction. The interval between initiation of labor induction and beginning of the active phase of labor was shorter in the dexamethasone than in the control group (3.09+/-1.5 hours vs. 4.21+/-1.8 hours; P=0.001). The duration of the second stage of labor was also shorter in the dexamethasone group (22.23+/-16.09 minutes vs. 29.01+/-15.32 minutes; P=0.014). The administration of dexamethasone was found to shorten labor duration.

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