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The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of intramuscular administration of 2 mg of alfaprostol in sows at the end of pregnancy in the induction of parturition. Ninety-six multiparous sows included in this trial were treated with alfaprostol between 111-115 days of gestation. The mean interval from injection to the birth of first piglet was 25,17±4,12 hours. The percentage of sows that farrowed during normal working hours (22 to 30 hours after injection) was 83%. The data showed that the days of gestation and the parity of animals as factors did not have significant effects on the onset of parturition. These results indicate that a single injection of 2 mg alfaprostol will successfully induce parturition the following day in the majority of the treated sows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]