WHO recommendation on routes of oxytocin administration for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal birth

Overview

In 2019, the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) for World Health Organization (WHO) maternal and perinatal health recommendations prioritized the updating of the existing WHO recommendations for intravenous (IV) versus intramuscular (IM) oxytocin for prevention of PPH after vaginal birth in response to the availability of new evidence.

The recommendation in this document thus supersedes the previous WHO recommendation for the prevention of PPH as published in the 2012 guideline, WHO recommendations for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.