Abstract
Postpartum hemorrhage is a life threatening situation and one of the important causes of maternal mortality and morbidity,
worldwide. To evaluate the effectiveness of a low dose (400ug) of misoprostol administrated sublingually compared to
10 IU of intramascular oxytocin for the reduction of postpartum blood loss. A total of 120 patients were randomized to
receive either 400µg misoprostol sublingually or 10 IU oxytocin intramuscularly after vaginal delivery. Primary
outcome measured was mean blood loss and incidence of primary postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Secondary outcome
measured included change in pre and 24 hour post-delivery hemoglobin and hematocrit values, side effects of the used
drugs, and the need for blood transfusion. Results: Although not statistically significant, mean blood loss mean in
misoprostol group (301.92 ±132.95) was lower than in oxytocin group (317.58 ±120.12). Incidence of postpartum
hemorrhage was (1.7%) in misoprostol group versus in oxytocin group (3.3%). We observed that 6.7% and 8.3% of
women experienced a hemoglobin decline of >10% 24 hours after receiving misoprostol and oxytocin, respectively (p =
1.0), the mean of HCT drop in misoprostol group (3.43 ±2.8) and (3.38 ± 2.92) in oxytocin group ( p = 0.92) . Side
effects were significantly greater in the misoprostol