Drips of synthetic oxytocin
A drip of synthetic oxytocin (syntocinon or
pitocin) is a substitute for the natural pituitary oxytocin a
woman is supposed to release when giving birth. It can be used
for labour induction, or to make uterine contractions more effective
during a labour that started spontaneously. The need for synthetic
oxytocin is a symptom of an inappropriate hormonal balance. It
is therefore dependent on environmental factors. It is related
to the degree of privacy and the feeling of safety. The need for
synthetic oxytocin is usually associated with a need for epidural
in the context of modern departments of obstetrics.
The long-term consequences of being born after
a labour induced or augmented by synthetic oxytocin cannot be
easily evaluated among humans, since randomized controlled studies
are not feasible.
There are basic differences between the effects
of an intravenous injection of oxytocin and the effects of the
same hormone released by the pituitary gland. The first difference
is that injected oxytocin does not cross the blood-brain barrier
and does not reach the brain receptors: it has no behavioural
effects. In other words it is not a hormone of love. The second
difference is that the natural hormone must be released by pulsations
in order to be effective. Intravenous injection is continuous;
this is a way to explain why the doses of synthetic oxytocin must
be comparatively high to be effective.
At a time when most women rely on intravenous
oxytocin, because they cannot release their natural oxytocin (and
other love hormones), new questions must be raised in terms of
civilization.
Michel Odent
