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TY - GEN ID - cogprints5769 UR - http://cogprints.org/5769/ A1 - Kristal, Dr. Mark B. A1 - Thompson, Alexis C. A1 - Abbott, P. A1 - DiPirro, Jean M. A1 - Ferguson, E.J. A1 - Doerr, J. C. Y1 - 1990/// N2 - Amniotic fluid and placenta contain a substance (POEF, for Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor) that, when ingested, enhances opioid-mediated analgesia in nonpregnant rats; ingestion of the substance by rats not experiencing opioid-mediated analgesia, however, does not produce analgesia. It is highly likely that periparturitional analgesia-enhancement is a significant benefit of ingestion of the afterbirth (placentophagia) during delivery. Here we report that prepartum ingestion of amniotic fluid (via orogastric infusion) does indeed enhance the endogenous-opioid-mediated analgesia evident at the end of pregnancy and during delivery; that the degree of enhancement is greater with 0.75 ml than with 0.25 ml, and that the prepartum enhancement of analgesia can be blocked with the opioid antagonist naloxone. PB - Pergamon Press KW - placentophagia KW - POEF KW - amniotic fluid KW - analgesia KW - pain KW - delivery KW - parturition KW - rat TI - Amniotic-fluid ingestion by parturient rats enhances pregnancy-mediated analgesia SP - 693 AV - public EP - 698 ER -