The Love Hormone: Oxytocin
February 13, 2007 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under medication, scientific studies
In men and women, oxytocin is released during orgasm. In women, it helps the uterus contract during labor and after the birth, and it triggers the letdown (milk-ejection) reflex that transmits breast milk through the milk ducts toward the nipple for breastfeeding. The hypothalamus works with the pituitary gland in the brain to regulate oxytocin levels.
Oxytocin is used in the synthetic form Pitocin to induce labor, and it can be used as a nasal spray to induce letdown during breastfeeding. Thomas W. Hale, Ph.D. warns in Medications and Mothers’ Milk that “chronic use of intranasal oxytocin may lead to dependence and should be limited to the first week postpartum.” (p. 687).
Not only does oxytocin contract muscles to perform all the above-mentioned functions, it also affects the brain. Recent studies show that oxytocin released in the brain helps build trust, reduce fear, promote bonding and trigger sexual arousal. This news has spawned the sale of “Liquid Trust” oxytocin spray and far more importantly, the investigation of oxytocin as a medication to help moderate the symptoms of autism.
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