Imagine that a woman is in the final week of her pregnancy. Her doctor gives her an injection of oxytocin. The likely result is that the pregnant woman would
A) undergo the loss of oxytocin receptors from her uterine smooth muscle cells.
B) undergo vigorous contractions of her uterine muscles.
C) be prevented from lactation.
D) stop secreting prostaglandins from the placenta.
E) increase the synthesis and secretion of progesterone.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Oxytocin is a hormone that stimulates uterine contractions, especially during labor. Therefore, giving a pregnant woman an injection of oxytocin in the final week of pregnancy would likely result in vigorous contractions of the uterine muscles, indicating the onset of labor. The other choices are not directly related to the effects of oxytocin on uterine muscles.

Imagine That a Woman Is in the Final Week of Her