Women often receive synthetic oxytocin to induce childbirth or augment contractions. What is an important consideration about the use of synthetic oxytocin?

Question

A.  It is impossible to mimic its chemical structure, so it may act on other receptors and cause side effects.
B.  The synthetic form does not travel down motor neurons, so it is less effective than the natural form.
C.  It can be difficult to get the levels just right, so uterine contractions can be too strong.
D.  If you fail to simultaneously provide synthetic G protein, the hormone is ineffective.

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?

Gather Content
What do you already know about oxytocin? What other information is related to the question?

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

C.  It can be difficult to get the levels just right, so uterine contractions can be too strong.

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        · What is a special consideration for the injection of synthetic oxytocin?
What type of thinking is required?
            o This is an evaluate question because you have to consider the role of oxytocin in childbirth and what precautions might need to be taken while inducing labor.

Gather Content
What do you already know about oxytocin? What other information is related to the question?
        · Oxytocin induces childbirth by stimulating uterine contractions. Synthetic oxytocins, such as Pitocin, mimic the chemical structure of natural oxytocin, and thus bind to oxytocin receptors, which are G-protein coupled receptors. Within short periods of time, the amount of oxytocin receptors and G-proteins remains stable so that shifts in hormone levels result in physiological changes. Too much oxytocin can result in uterine contractions being too strong. This could potentially harm the baby during delivery.

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        · You know that oxytocin is associated with childbirth and nursing, and that synthetic versions of it can induce labor and delivery via stimulating uterine contractions. You also know that oxytocin receptors are G-protein mediated receptors and are only activated by oxytocin or analogs of oxytocin, but that G-proteins are associated with cell membranes and not transported around the bloodstream the way that hormones are. Thus, synthetic G-proteins do not need to be given along with synthetic oxytocin. If oxytocin can induce uterine contractions, then too much oxytocin could cause contractions that are strong enough to harm the baby. Thus, doctors must take great care with using synthetic oxytocin to induce labor.

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o Answering this question correctly depended upon understanding the roles of oxytocin, and determining what might go wrong with it’s administration. If you got the answer correct, great! If not, where did you go wrong? Did you think that synthetic oxytocin would not be as effective as natural oxytocin? Did you remember that oxytocin receptors are G-protein mediated, and so thought that synthetic G-proteins might be needed along with the synthetic oxytocin?