Surprise! Pitocin and Postpartum Depression are Linked!
Much to the surprise of the medical community, a 2017 study showed that Pitocin and postpartum depression and anxiety are linked (not a causation but a link). The mothers aren't surprised.
Pitocin®, a synthetic form of oxytocin, is routinely given to women before, during and immediately following birth to induce and augment labor, and to also prevent and treat postpartum hemorrhage.
--->>> According to the 2017 study, women with a history of depression or anxiety prior to pregnancy, receiving Pitocin® increased the risk of postpartum depression or anxiety by 36%. For women with no prior history of depression or anxiety, receiving Pitocin® increased their risk of postpartum depression or anxiety by 32%. Let that sink in for a moment.
I Bet the Numbers Are Even Higher
While I pondered these incredibly high numbers, it occurred to me that the numbers may actually be higher. The information used in the research study came from women that received a diagnosis and/or a psychotropic medication. What about those that didn't seek help?
In my experience, many women do not seek professional help when experiencing postpartum anxiety and/or depression. How many anxious or depressed mothers never confide to their care providers about what they're feeling? Or even worse, were dismissed and told "everything will be fine".
It's Not Just in Our Heads
Even if the numbers may be higher, the research as is, is incredibly validating. Ladies, what you are feeling is not "just in your head". It's real, and it's a big problem (that society has no idea how to handle).
*For a list of symptoms of postpartum mood disorders please visit Postpartum Progress. (Postpartum Progress is a non-profit that aims to raise awareness, fight stigma and provide peer support and programming to women with maternal mental illness.)
Pitocin Is Not the Same as Oxytocin
The strangest thing about the research study was that the hypothesis was the opposite of what made sense to me as a mother and childbirth educator. The hypothesis suggested that synthetic oxytocin, Pitocin, would in fact lower postpartum depression and anxiety.
The underlying assumption I am gathering is that, despite the evidence, medical professionals believe that Pitocin® is the same as oxytocin.
A few years ago I was attending a Pitocin® induction at my local hospital. My doula client was struggling BIG TIME with the sudden wave after wave of strong, painful contractions. Her nurse, not knowing what else to do, told her, "this is just labor, honey". As if what she was experiencing were normal labor sensations. How sad.
Believe me, Pitocin® does not feel warm and fuzzy, and isn't "just like labor". My pitocin augmentation birth was much harder than my first two births. For me, Pitocin® made my active labor phase feel like the transition phase, and lasted far longer than the transition phases I had experienced in my non-Pitocin® births.
Oxytocin is Needed to Mother Well
Oxytocin, on the other hand, is helpful for coping with stress, supporting emotional and mental well-being and also helps with bonding - which are absolutely necessary for a successful transition to motherhood. (source)
Another study showed that women given Pitocin in labor had low oxytocin levels during breastfeeding. This revealed that the exposure to Pitocin® has consequences that last on into mothering. (source)
But What About the Baby?
If oxytocin is an important hormone for becoming a mother and synthetic oxytocin is linked to postpartum depression, anxiety and low oxytocin during breastfeeding. I can't help but wonder - what about the baby?
If oxytocin affects how women transform into mothers, how is this synthetic hormone affecting the baby? How is the baby affected by synthetic oxytocin before, during and after labor? Frighteningly, we have no idea.
Re-Examine Routine Procedures
If Pitocin® is linked to postpartum depression and causes a lack of oxytocin during the postpartum period, maybe it's time to re-evlatulate the use of Pitocin® as it pertains to each woman. (Never mind the baby...)
According to the CDC, induction has more than doubled from 1990 (10%) to 2010 (23%) (source). One source reports the 2020 induction rate was now at 31% (source)... which may be due to the Arrive Trial. However, just because a procedure is routine does not mean that it's a good enough reason to do it.
Another 2020 Study
Beyond the 2017 study, a 2020 study (source) highlighted that higher natural oxytocin in a postpartum woman often showed less incidences of postpartum depression, but couldn't make any conclusions regarding synthetic Pitocin®. Like the 2017 study, they "strongly recommend that rigorous studies examining the effects of synthetic OT exposure on PPD should be performed". For whatever reason, a rigorous study on Pitocin and postpartum depression has yet to be published.
We Need More Research
I'm not suggesting to eliminate Pitocin®, as it is an important life saving tool in modern obstetrics. (Shoot, I've even experienced it first hand!) However, because the consequences of routine childbirth interventions such as Pitocin® on human maternal behavior have been understudied, it would be wise to limit the use of Pitocin® until further research is completed. And if Pitocin® is deemed necessary, it would be wise and compassionate to provide quality postpartum mental health resources, especially to those with high risk factors for postpartum depression.
What if care providers were required to pay for 40 hours of postpartum doula services, a wonderful holistic postpartum mental health resource, to women that received Pitocin®? I bet we'd quickly see the true motivations behind the choices made in the care of new mothers.
Oxytocin is essential for our species to thrive as mothers. Our current methods may be meddling with the mental health of these new mothers - the backbone of society. Is the crumbling mental health of new mothers important enough for us to take action?
Comment on Pitocin and Postpartum Depression Are Linked
Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. What do you think about how Pitocin and postpartum depression are linked?
I just want to say I've read tons of articles on your blog and most of the books you've suggested. Thank you for being a great source of information on unmedicated and natural childbirth.
This article is a perfect example of information expectant couples should know before they give birth!
My birth stories are in line with suggestions in this study. I was given synethic oxytosin right after my 1st child. 2nd and 3rd births were home births. I can say I was truly robbed out of the happy bonding warm fizzles with the synethic hormones. When nature knows has designed is pretty perfect, we mess with the birthing process too much.
I was forced to have petocin and have horrible post pardum depression 🙁
I had pitocin with my first and suprise got baby blues. Second baby no pitocin no problems. Now I am pregnant with #3 and wonder what alternative there is?
Pitocin is used to firm up the uterus by uterine contractions to help things progress and further dilate the cervix. My L&D nursing instructor said aloe vera juice works just the same. That's also why one should avoid that juice during pregnancy to avoid miscarriage or preterm labor.
Clary sage essential oil is really great to help the laboring process. I'd look into different positions. And sometimes time is all we need. From reading various texts, the 40 week pregnancy is an arbitrary time and is not applicable to everybody. Plus if you don't chart your cycle, you actually don't know when you conceived which can throw off your due date as much as a week or two. Hold your ground if you don't feel like your body is ready and trust it. Good luck!
Avoiding all intervention and awaitingspontaneous natural birth 🙂
@Jessica Trotter the alternative is, stay the heck out of the hospital.
Thank you so much for this information! I wanted to point out that the actual numbers of women who have increased risk would be very low, less than 1%. An increased risk of 36% would equate to an actual increase of maybe 1/1000 women. It does not mean 36% more women experienced this side effect. It's good to get this interesting info out there, but it is equally important to understand the data you are reporting on.
Hi Susan,
Can you explain further? I read the PubMed article and am by no means an expert on interpreting research findings! Are you referring to the Relative Risk (RR) of 1.36? Thank you!
Dara
It's not quite as low as 1/1000 women, but 36% of women are not getting postpartum depression as a result of Pitocin, its more like 2%. Interpreting relative risk ratios can be deceiving.
From the paper (table 4), 4.9% of women without a previous depression/anxiety symptoms had postpartum depression after a birth with NO pitocin (1,701 women out of 34,240) and 7% of women who gave birth WITH pitocin had postpartum depression (621 out of 8,883 women).
So its a difference from about 5% to 7% of women getting postpartum depression attributed to pitocin (that 2% difference). Another way to put it is: its a difference of 70/1000 women instead of 50/1000 women getting postpartum depression as a result of receiving pitocin.
That's a pretty low number. Pitocin isn't always bad--I knew a gal who was pregnant w twins. She didn't go into labor because the uterus was over-stretched, and refused intervention. She delivered two perfect babies--both dead. So sad and so avoidable. A total shame. Tragic ignorance.
My daughter lost her life because of pitocin and there are many law suits against it as well, but it’s only the clearly obvious ones. Our attorney told us that for every ten cases he saw, only one made it to court. He also said that he would love to take a class action law suit against pitocin, but can not because pitocin is NOT FDA approved for use during labor. It is an off label use and it’s done this way to protect the manufacturers of the drug. Personally I hate the drug for obvious reasons, but it is over used in unnecessary situations and causing more harm that it’s avtually helping.
The American Psychology Association estimates that 1 in 7 women experience PPD. So that's 14%. Which is way more than the 5% you quote from the study. But as the author of this article stated, a quite large number of women never seek care for PPD, and this study was based only on those who did seek care. An increase of 36% means 5 ore of every 100 women suffer with PPD as a result of Pitocin use. So then we are going from 140/1000 to 190/1000. First of all, 140 is way to high. But adding 50 more per 1000 births to that is a really stupid risk to take for a elective procedure. Absolutely Pitocin should be used to induce labor when it is clearly more dangerous for mom or baby to continue the pregnancy. But as an OB nurse, that is not what I see happening. Elective inductions just because she's 39 weeks happens all. the. time. I'm in a smallish unit. We do around 100-120 births a month. We routinely have 3 elective inductions schedule every week day. There is on ethical reason that makes this ok. Not when women and babies are dying all the time because of PPD.
Wow this makes so much sense! I have 5 children and two were natural unmedicated. My induced picotin Labour with my daughter was by far the worst. The pain was like fire. I had extreme anxiety and postpartum for a year at least after. I couldn't even leave my house it was awful. My daughter is by far the most anxious child out of the 5 and suffers with extreme anxiety (I'm sure some of it was learned but it makes me wonder the affects it had on her)
I think your comment "just because it's routine doesn't mean it's safe" is exactly the direction we should be heading. I've seen awful things happen with pitocin. I also, had an uncomplicated birth augmented with pitocin... so it's not every case. But everycade should be evaluated individually. It would be nice to move away from inductions unless they are medically necessary. PPD is real and serious. We need to do a better job walking our mothers through the transition of pregnancy to Motherhood.
So many well thought out points in the article.
Thanks
Having this information is such a relief to me! I had pitocin after my first two were born and suffered with severe postpartum depression, the first was blown off so I didn't mention it with my second. If pitocin was really the cause it makes those feelings of "what's wrong with me" fade away a little bit!
Does this research point to the effects of pitocin used only as a labor inducer, or also administered in the third stage of labor to prevent maternal hemorrhaging?
Both.
Is it possible to use Pitocin during the third stage if (and only if) there are early signs of hemorrhage? Or does it have to be administered immediately after birth as a preventative treatment?
If it's possible to wait for signs that Pitocin is needed to prevent hemorrhage, what signs could a doctor look for?
Thank you.
Is it possible to use Pitocin during the third stage if (and only if) there are early signs of hemorrhage? - Yes, but that is a separate approach to the third stage of labor. It depends on what your care provider embraces in their practice.
If it’s possible to wait for signs that Pitocin is needed to prevent hemorrhage, what signs could a doctor look for? - There are things that make a woman more likely to hemorrhage - previous hemorrhage, long labor, use of pitocin during labor, etc. I am not familiar with early signs of a hemorrhage... other than bleeding too much.
Sorry, that probably isn't that helpful. 🙂 But really good questions!
What I have noticed is that there are a lot less studies done pertaining to women's health. Breast cancer studies have just came to the forefront because we demanded it. We need to demand women's studies on this and on ALL things in healthcare because they are not taking care of us.
Could you cite the research paper for this study. I'm interested in reading it. Many thanks.
The sources are linked throughout the post.
I had Pitocin with my second child. I had severe PPD after his birth and have had anxiety issues ever since. I am 59 now and finally gave in to see a therapist to deal with anxiety issues.
Hey Barbara,
You should try collagen. I had anxiety for almost a year after a miscarriage in which they gave me Misoprostol which is similar to the Pitocin. I started taking collagen over a week ago and my anxiety completely disappeared. It's good for gut health...which could be why it's working...I'm not sure. Very interested in getting to the bottom of this. Blessings to you and hugs.
I have had 8 kids, only one without pitocin. I didn't really notice a difference in my pain levels, the alertness or health of the baby, or my bodies ability to cope. But I also fail to go into and progress in labor a lot. So I think it depends on the situation. Sometimes it is really needed. I do believe though that if the body can do it on its own it should be allowed to. I do know of hospitals that just automatically give it, and don't wait at all. I think this practice is a little much. But I also think we shouldn't just do away with it or quit using it all together. Some people really need it. So I would say put your foot down on automatic use but don't be so scared of it that you will not use it at all. I have never had postpartum depression, even when using it.
Beautifully said. I definitely agree.
While this is really disturbing information, it is also junk science because association is NOT causation. I suspect there are huge physiologic issues with induced labor per se, so that comparison group would be women who were induced without pitocin (which would likely be the small group who were so close to labor that rupture of the membranes was enough). Another comparison group could be women who received pitocin only after delivery, which probably did not do anything. The fact that their bodies were not ready, combined with the creating of contractions that are way too intense and painful for the stage of labor that the mother is in, the whole loss of control and efficacy associated with induction might account for a lot of the effects attributed to pitocin per se. So these data are suggestive but a lot more needs to be done with them to declare them scientifically valid.
I agree 100%. The data is taken from depressed patients and not where it should be done- which is assessing all patients that have received pitocin. If the study was done this way the results would have been startlingly different.
I personally think that the criteria for the Research based article' is incorrect. How many patients were included in this study?
This was done on patients that were in postnatal depression. To assess The effects of pitocin would be best seen on a random patient study cross etnicity and include all parity's that have received pitocin then see how many patients have experienced postnatal depression.
This article also discussed pitocin used mainly for induction. Is the statitucs the same for pitocin used for an induction which I can understand causes an increased height in contractions and for this reason can not be given to previous caeser mums. The induction could be hours of receiving artificial oxytocin which Yes,could exacerbate depression. Does this have the same effect if given postnatally?
In my practice i very rarely use pitocin foe an Induction...if not ever. I use syntocinon according to regulation postnatally.
In Over 1000 births I can say that I have have minimal depression. Postnatal depression In Cases where it had occurred were related to patients mainly with tape A personalities and/or lack of support. Another HUGE Reason where minimal research was done was actually patients that had low Hb's.
I think much further needs to be included as mulipara patients read just the beginning and refuse pitocinon postnatally.and ave an increased risk of post partum haeortage,morbidity and mortality.
I've re-read reply..please excuse grammar and typos.
So what can my 34 year old niece do to get done to her if she is suicidal and in a care hospital. She had twins 3 years ago and the Pitocin injections. Is there a medical therapy that reverses the Pitocin effects? Other treatments haven't worked.
get her on CBD OIL now. look up thoughtcloud.com
We actually do know a little bit about how Pitocin affects babies: this was the subject of my doctoral research:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B016OBFQK2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_k-U9Db26N742Y