Objectives:Retained placenta in the third stage of labor causes complications that may threaten a mother’s life. In this clinical trial, we compared umbilical vein injection of misoprostol and oxytocin for managing the retained placenta in the women who had referred to Moheb-Yass and Shariati hospitals in Tehran and Bandar Abbas cities, Iran.

Materials and Methods: Between 2012 and 2015, 44 women with a long third stage of labor (retained placenta for more than 30 minutes) were chosen for this study. They were randomly divided into 2 groups: oxytocin and misoprostol groups (22 women in each group). In oxytocin group, oxytocin was injected into the umbilical vein with 50-unit concentration in 30 mL of normal saline. In misoprostol group, 800 µg of misoprostol was injected into the umbilical vein in 30 mL of normal saline. Placenta delivery time, bleeding after parturition, and hemoglobin drop were compared between the 2 groups.

Results:There was no significant difference between umbilical vein injection of misoprostol or oxytocin regarding spontaneous placental delivery in the mothers younger than 30 years old. Totally, spontaneous placental delivery was significantly more in the misoprostol group. This was magnified among women who were pregnant for more than 30 weeks.

Conclusions: Umbilical vein injection of misoprostol is more effective than that of oxytocin in managing the retained placenta in the third stage of labor.