An EPO poll

FyshWyfe

In your research, and in your collaborations with your OBs, MWs, doulas, childbirth educators, etc., have you been told if EPO is more effective by mouth or vaginally?  My MW says it's up for debate, but has me doing both.  What have you heard and what do you do?  

kxp004

My MWs say vaginally... and even better is to apply the oil directly to the cervix if you can reach it...

sschwege

My MWs said the same thing that it's still up for debate.  But one of my MWs said that it just seems like vaginally should work better, but that was just her own personal feeling.  I tried it vaginally once and didn't like the way it felt, it just sort of made me feel itchy down there, so after that I took it orally.  

ohashlet

OP is it your midwife who says she hasn't had an overdue mother in however many years?

kesrya

I can't see how it could possibly work vaginally from a physiology/biology standpoint.  EPO has the precursors to prostaglandin (GLA), but is not prostaglandin itself (prostaglandin is what causes the cervix to efface and dilate).  To convert GLA to prostaglandin, it must be injested and processed through the endocrine system.  There is nothing in the vagina that is going to magically convert it.  There is also nothing in the vagina that is going to digest/breakdown the gelatin capsules that most EPO come in, and the gelatin itself could increase the occurence of a yeast infection, so if you do use it vaginally, you really should use a straight oil, not a capsule.

That all being said, my midwife did encourage me to use it vaginally at 42 weeks when I was only 50% effaced and not even a finger tip dilated. Faced with possibility of a medical induction, I did apply EPO directly to the cervix each night for the next week, but had made no cervical progress by week's end.  I made the most progress between week 41 and 42 when I switched my oral EPO to oral Borage oil, which has a much higher occurrence of GLA in it.  That week I went from completely unfavorable posterior cervix to the 50% effacement and slight dilation.