Recently, I read an article published by DONA International about the possibility of Pitocin being related to autism in children. The World Health Organization currently says that there is reason to beleive there is a link between the use of pitocin to indue labor and the incidence of child autism. The article goes on to describe the link between the synthetic hormone of pitocin replacing the naturally occurring hormone in labor, oxytocin. Oxytocin is a love hormone. It is involved in love making, child bearing and breastfeeding. Autism creates a divide socially-- many times creating difficulty building trust and relationships. Interestingly enough, some people with autism have been treated with oxytocin nasal sprays and seen marked improvement. Can it be true that using this synthetic hormone to induce labor could potentially damage the functioning of the ability for children to relate to others and cause more damage than we realize? Studies have yet to confirm this to be absolute, but organizations in the birth community are beginning to make people aware of this potential consequence of pitocin.
For more in depth information on Pitocin, you can read one of my favorite blogs. Stated better than I could!
http://wonderfullymadebelliesandbabies.blogspot.com/2010/06/watch-your-step-avoiding-pit.html
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