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Synthetic oxytocin, sold under the brand name Pitocin among others, is a medication made from the peptide oxytocin. [6] [7] As a medication, it is used to cause contraction of the uterus to start labor, increase the speed of labor, and to stop bleeding following delivery. [6]
Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. [4] Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include social bonding, love, reproduction, childbirth, and the period after childbirth.
When oxytocin binds to its associated receptors in the uterus, a cascade is initiated that results in an increase in calcium and subsequently an increase in muscle contractions. The release of oxytocin helps to facilitate stronger contractions during labor to aid in delivery of the fetus.
The hormone oxytocin has been identified as inducing uterine contractions, and labour in general. [9] Oxytocin is produced by the body naturally and since the 1950s has also been available in synthetic pharmaceutical form. [10] [11] In either form, oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions to accelerate the process of childbirth.
Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. [7] In 2019, there were about 140.11 million human births globally. [9]
Labor induction is the process or treatment that stimulates childbirth and delivery. Inducing (starting) labor can be accomplished with pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical methods. In Western countries, it is estimated that one-quarter of pregnant women have their labor medically induced with drug treatment. [1]
Oxytocin is released continuously during labor to stimulate uterine muscle contraction so that the fetus can be delivered and it is continued to be released after delivery to stop blood flow. [8] If the oxytocin receptors become desensitized and no longer respond to the hormone then the uterus does not contract. [ 8 ]
During human parturition, the quantifiable level of blood plasma oxytocin rises: it becomes twice as much during the initial phase of dilation and continues to increase until the second stage of labor. [36] Oxytocin furthermore induces uterine contractions in mothers following childbirth which helps in the prevention of bleeding. [37]