Ferguson-Reflex

As Ferguson reflex is called in medicine a reflex, which serves during birth to support the labor.

The mechanical strain stimulus exerted by the fruit on the cervix and vagina, is passed through the spinal cord to the diencephalon and triggers the release of oxytocin from. Whether an epidural may lead to a reduced oxytocin secretion is controversial. The Ferguson reflex is to be distinguished from the emptying reflex, a spinal reflex which is guided pudendal nerve and above the abdominal pressure triggers.

The Ferguson reflex was established in 1941 by the Canadian physician James Kenneth Wallace Ferguson ( 1907-1999 ) first described.