Uterine Hyperstimulation

Uterine hyperstimulation during labor can cause devastating birth complications and birth injuries for a newborn child.

While in labor, a mother’s contractions temporarily restrict the baby’s access to blood and oxygen flow. This process is natural, but a baby can only go so long with diminished oxygenation before they become at risk for an injury. Going too long without oxygenated blood to the brain can result in a number of severe hypoxic (lack of oxygen) and ischemic (lack of blood flow) brain injuries.

The most severe of these is hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a serious brain injury that is often marked by paralysis, seizure disorders, and cognitive and developmental delays. HIE is also the leading cause of cerebral palsy.

Uterine hyperstimulation is often a side effect caused by labor inducing medications. Medical negligence can also be a factor when doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals administer the incorrect dosage, fail to adjust the dosage with signs of complications or fail to stop the medication when appropriate.

If an expectant mother experiences hyperstimulation during labor because of the wrong or improperly modified dosage and it causes a birth injury to her child, it may be considered medical malpractice.

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A newborn can sustain a devastating birth injury without proper treatment during and after their mother’s uterine hyperstimulation. Miller Weisbrod Olesky has a decades-long proven track record of results for children and families across the United States who have suffered from all types of improperly-treated labor and delivery complications.

Our team of specialized birth injury attorneys and registered nurses can review the unique circumstances of you or your family’s case to deliver the treatment, care, and financial resources you deserve. You won’t be charged with any fees until we win your case.

As a woman’s body prepares to give birth, her uterus naturally contracts to push the baby from her womb and through the birth canal into the world. Uterine hyperstimulation is a labor and delivery complication where a woman’s uterus contracts more frequently and/or more forcefully than is normal.

While uterine hyperstimulation can happen naturally, the overwhelming majority of cases develop as a birth complication from induced labor medications. These medications are needed when the mother’s contractions are weak, erratic, or fail to begin at all.

Multiple factors can play into why the uterus fails to contract with sufficient strength, duration or frequency to progress labor effectively (a condition known as hypotonic labor). This can include uterine deformities and previous surgery for injuries such as a uterine rupture. The most common cause, however, is a hormone imbalance of oxytocin.

A woman’s body makes oxytocin throughout her lifetime, with increased production during pregnancy. As the fetus presses against her cervix, it triggers a nerve impulse that sends a message to the pituitary gland in her brain to produce more oxytocin. The oxytocin travels to her uterus to stimulate contractions.

If the mother has a hormone imbalance that’s causing an oxytocin deficiency, her contractions may be too weak to push the baby out. This increases her risk of a prolonged or arrested labor, which can be dangerous for both her and her child.

For women with these issues, their doctors may prescribe Pitocin, which is a synthesized version of oxytocin. Doctors typically give Pitocin intravenously when inducing a woman whose labor has not started, but it is also given to women in labor whose contractions need to be strengthened for their labor to progress.

However, the misuse or overdosage of Pitocin can cause the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction, giving a woman contractions that are too frequent and too strong. It can also increase the woman’s risk for other injuries like a uterine rupture, placental abruption, or excessive bleeding. When using Pitocin, the labor and delivery nurses must closely monitor the expectant mother for any potential complications and adjust or stop the medication in response to signs of birth complications.

Both uterine hyperstimulation and uterine tachysystole refer to excessive uterine activity. Tachysystole is a type of hyperstimulation, measured by the frequency of a woman’s contractions. Uterine tachysystole is defined by a series of five or more contractions within 10 minutes for two consecutive 10-minute periods.

Hyperstimulation, on the other hand, is a broader term that encompasses all aspects of irregular contractions. This includes their frequency, intensity, duration, and their effect on fetal heart rates.

Uterine hyperstimulation can be identified from the following symptoms:

• Five or more contractions within a 10-minute period (tachysystole).
• Contractions lasting 2 minutes or longer in duration.
• Unusually intense or painful contractions from the beginning of labor.
• A baby showing signs of fetal distress.
• A baby showing signs of fetal tachycardia or hypoxia.

Doctors, nurses, and specialized labor and delivery teams must carefully monitor both the mother’s contractions and the child’s heart rate after administering labor inducting medications to identify signs of hyperstimulation. If they fail to identify symptoms or respond too late, it can lead to a preventable birth injury and constitute medical malpractice.

Most cases of uterine hyperstimulation are caused by the misuse of or failure to monitor labor induction medications. However, it could also be caused by a hormonal imbalance where the mother’s body produces too much oxytocin. Other factors, such as hypertension and maternal infections like chorioamnionitis, have also been linked to increased uterine activity.

Certain risk factors exist that make a mother more likely to need labor induction medications. These include:

• Epidural Use: The use of epidural anesthesia has been linked to an increase in uterine activity. During epidural use, contractions can become weaker and less frequent. To increase contractions, a medical professional may prescribe medication like Pitocin. This can result in uterine tachysystole, and if not managed appropriately, it can potentially lead to several complications like fetal oxygen deprivation and uterine rupture, which can affect both the mother and the fetus.

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• Preeclampsia: When preeclampsia occurs during pregnancy, a doctor may advise an expectant mother to deliver early. This typically requires a healthcare professional to start labor artificially with Pitocin or Cytotec. If too much labor-inducing medication is administered, it can increase the risk of tachysystole. Preeclampsia may lead to an unplanned preterm birth, affect the arteries carrying blood to the placenta, lead to slow fetal growth, increase a mother's risk of placental abruption, and cause a baby to develop neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

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• Maternal Dehydration: Staying hydrated during pregnancy is vital to maintaining amniotic fluids and help the baby grow. When a pregnant mother is dehydrated, it can cause premature contractions, preterm delivery, or decreased placental blood flow. Dehydration during pregnancy can cause a pregnant mother's blood volume to decrease while subsequently increasing oxytocin levels. High levels of oxytocin can cause the uterus to contract too frequently and cause health problems for the baby.

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• Premature Rupture of Membranes: Premature rupture of membranes (or PROM) happens when the amniotic sac holding the amniotic fluid and the baby ruptures. Commonly known as “water breaking,” rupture of membranes (ROM) usually prompts the onset of labor. When this happens prematurely, however, it exposes the baby to several health risks like infection, premature birth, and umbilical cord complications. Doctors may administer labor induction drugs to reduce the risks posed to the fetus, which comes with the risk of hyperstimulation.

Uterine hyperstimulation can be dangerous for both the mother and her child. When not treated in a timely fashion, it can lead to the following labor and delivery complications:

Complications to the Mother

• Placental abruption
• Uterine rupture
• Premature labor
• Postpartum hemorrhage
• Emergency C-section delivery

Complications to the Baby

• Fetal distress
• Hypoxia
• Ischemia
• Fetal acidosis
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
• Seizure disorders
• Developmental delays
• Cerebral Palsy

Healthcare professionals must exercise extreme caution when administering labor inducing medications to avoid these harmful birth complications. They must carefully monitor the mother’s contractions during labor, as well as the child’s heart rate to identify any abnormalities.

Uterine hyperstimulation is typically treated with tocolytic agents, a class of medications that prevents uterine contractions and can treat preterm labor. In some cases, though, doctors may deem it necessary to perform an emergency C-section delivery if they believe they can’t stop the contractions in time to prevent an injury.

Because uterine hyperstimulation happens during labor, life-threatening complications and injuries can develop very quickly. A timely response is required when treating these mothers to avoid further preventable harm. Healthcare professionals must avoid making these critical errors when treating mothers experiencing uterine hyperstimulation:

• Misuse or prescribing too high of a dose of labor inducing medications, causing hyperstimulation.
• Failure to identify hyperstimulation through improper monitoring of a mother’s contractions.
• Failing to identify fetal distress in a baby through improper fetal heart rate monitoring.
• Failure to prescribe tocolytic agents to reduce a mother’s contractions.
• Failing to order a timely C-section delivery.
• Failing to identify and treat a placental abruption, uterine rupture, or internal bleeding following a mother’s delivery after a case of uterine hyperstimulation.
• Failing to identify and treat a brain injury such as HIE in a newborn following a labor with uterine hyperstimulation.

It’s important to note that it requires a detailed review of the specific facts and timeline of a mother’s birth and the action taken shortly after it before making a definitive judgement as to whether medical malpractice played a factor in your or your child’s birth injury.

Many cases of uterine hyperstimulation can be avoided with the proper dosage of labor induction drugs. Medical negligence, such as prescribing too high a dose or failing to catch and treat a complication that follows, can worsen a newborn’s health and expose them to potential lifelong injuries.

If a family believes medical negligence contributed to a child’s birth injury, legal support may be an option. A specialized birth injury attorney can review the medical records and circumstances to assess whether a claim exists.

Parents whose children suffer from the long-term effects of birth complications, as well as parents who have suffered the loss of their baby, deserve to know whether it could have been prevented. Our dedicated birth injury lawyers want to help you find those answers and obtain the funds necessary to improve the quality of life for your child.

If your child has been diagnosed with a birth injury and you suspect this may have been caused in part by medical mistakes, Miller Weisbrod Olesky will thoroughly investigate the facts and hold the responsible medical providers accountable by pursuing medical malpractice claims against them.

Sometimes families are hesitant to reach out to a medical malpractice attorney or law firm. They may feel overwhelmed by their circumstances or are worried that a law firm will not be able to help them. But the only way to find out if you have a case is to talk to an attorney who understands how birth injuries can lead to developmental delays and other complications that require long-lasting medical support.

A statute of limitations (SOL) is a law that sets a time limit on how long an injured person has to file a lawsuit after an accident. It is essential to understand that statutes of limitations vary based on the type of case and the state where it is filed. For instance, the deadline for birth injury claims is typically different from other claims, such as injury to personal property, fraud, contract disputes, and collection of debts.

Generally, the clock starts ticking on the date the injury occurred. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and in some cases, the statute of limitations starts when a person discovers or reasonably should have discovered an injury. When dealing with government agencies, SOLs can become even more complex.

For example, if the party that injured you was:

• A federal employee
• Employed by a military hospital, Veterans Administration facility, or a federally funded medical entity

You may need to file a birth injury claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). In FTCA cases, claimants must go through certain administrative procedures before filing a lawsuit. In some states, if the negligent party was a local or state government hospital or the doctors and medical providers are employees of a governmental entity, the time period in which you must give "notice" may be shorter.

If your case is filed outside of the statute of limitations, it will typically be dismissed, and you will not be eligible to recover compensation for your injuries. Determining when a statute of limitations begins on your case can be tricky. If you're considering pursuing compensation for a birth injury, contacting an attorney as soon as possible is in your best interest.

Birth injuries caused by uterine hyperstimulation can sometimes be prevented, but it takes a detailed expert review of the facts and circumstances of your pregnancy and your child's birth to determine whether the injury was the result of medical malpractice.

Our Process

At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, a team of committed birth injury attorneys, nurses and paraprofessionals uses our detailed medical negligence case review process to assess your potential birth injury case. We start by learning more about you and your child and the status of meeting/missing developmental milestones. Then we gather medical records to determine what happened before, during, and after your delivery. We call in skilled medical experts who review your records and let us know if they think medical errors could have caused you or your child's injuries.

If we feel medical negligence caused or contributed to complications with your pregnancy or your child's injuries, we meet with you to discuss how you can receive compensation from the medical professionals who made the errors.

At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment when you do. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we can begin investigating your case and gathering the evidence needed to support your claim.

We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won't pay any legal fees unless we win your case. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation by calling our toll-free line at 888-987-0005 or by filling out our online request form.