Pitocin and Autism - A Link?
Is there a link between the usage of pitocin, an artificial hormone given to induce or speed up labor, and the rise in autism statistics? Are we causing autism by our use of such drugs in the birth process?
The theory of a link between pitocin and autism is a controversial one, and a rather worrying one, but it is something that needs further research so that we can rule it out or do something about it.
It first entered the public forum when Geoffrey Cowley, a Newsweek reporter, interviewed physician Dr Eric Hollander of New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine for an article back in July 2000 (see http://www.newsweek.com/id/85572/page/1 for “Understanding Autism” article). Dr Hollander had made the startling discovery that 60% of his autistic patients had been exposed to pitocin in the womb, when their mothers’ labors had been induced, and said:-
“In some individuals whose oxytocin system could be genetically vulnerable, a strong environmental early hit while the brain is still developing could down-regulate the oxytocin system, leading to developmental problems. But this is only a hypothesis that has been observed by association.”
What is Pitocin?
Pitocin is a synthetic version of oxytocin, a hormone that is naturally produced by a woman’s brain to produce spontaneous labor. When oxytocin is produced in the woman’s body, it triggers uterine contractions which cause the woman’s cervix to dilate and which also propel the baby through the birth canal. When a woman goes past her due date or needs to be induced for some reason, pitocin can be used to artificially induce labor or speed things up.
What is its link to Autism?
An article on Autism Today’s website (see http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/ATTN_Researchers.htm) points out that oxytocin is also produced during breastfeeding and during sexual orgasms, which are both events ” associated with experiences of great emotional bonding and include meaningful social interaction between the individuals involved”. Autism Today wonders if there is therefore a link between a baby being flooded with “this gender-specific synthetic hormone from animals” and autism spectrum disorders where a child may have an inability to bond with others, socialize and make relationships. Does pitocin exposure interfere with psychological functioning? An interesting question.
Another theory linking pitocin and autism is that the drug causes enormous pressure on the baby’s cranium during the birth process, much more than during spontaneous natural labor. New York’s “Naturally” magazine (quoted at http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=650489) says:-
“Today’s obstetrical practices, notably Pitocin and Epidural can result in compression in the baby’s skull. This occurs because the drugs interfere with the rhythm of birth, which is based on the relationship between expansion and contraction of the plates of the baby’s skull and the expansion and contraction in the mother’s pelvis to enable the baby to pass through the birth canal. With the mother’s rhythm altered by the drugs, the baby’s head is subjected to enormous pressure during birth, which can result in cranial compression. This in turn can put pressure on the brain and cranial nerves, among other effects. Again, the developing nervous system is compromised. One doctor likens birth under these conditions to using the baby’s head as battering ram, with the Pitocin speeding up the birth rhythm. His clinical analysis of his autistic patients revealed that in 60% of the cases Pitocin was used during birth.”
Is there really a link?
The Autism Today article also points out that when a woman is induced with pitocin she is also often given many other drugs and interventions, so can we really say that it is pitocin alone that is a factor in autism? Other drugs and interventions often used alongside pitocin include:-
- Other IV fluids
- Increased electric fetal monitoring causing the woman to be sedentary during her labor.
- Increased chance of the woman being given narcotic pain relievers or an epidural because the labor is more painful.
- Increased chance of assisted delivery (forceps or vacuum extraction)
So, Autism Today asks whether it may actually be a combination of drugs, or a combination of drugs and physical problems, which could be a causative factor for autism, rather than the use of pitocin alone.
A study entitled “Pitocin induction in autistic and nonautistic individuals” by S Gale, S Ozonoff and J Lainhart, examining the rates of labor induction using pitocin, looked at the birth histories of 41 autistic boys and 25 IQ-matched and age-matched boys without autism, and failed to find a link between the use of pitocin and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.
Whatever our thoughts on this, the use of pitocin is climbing, along with autism rates, and its possible link to developmental disorders does warrant further research.
Two decades ago, the former president of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Roberto Caldreyo-Barcia, MD, stated that “Pitocin is the most abused drug in the world today”, and many feel that in the majority of cases its use just isn’t medically necessary. Perhaps we should only “interfere” with nature when absolutely necessary, when a mother or her child are in danger.
Further Reading
You can read more about the possible link between pitocin and autism at the following sites:-
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10445240_ITM
http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/ATTN_Researchers.htm
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/57071
July 30th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
I had an epidural, pitocin and every other drug in the hospital with my autistic son so the next time when I was expecting another boy, I read an awesome book, HypnoBirthing, and was able to have a pain free completely natural birth without even an IV. They tried to give me Pitocin after he was born to stop my bleeding and I flat out refused since I did not want that in my milk supply. The nurse seemed shocked that I was refusing and I had to repeat myself saying that they would simply have to find something else to stop my bleeding. No more pitocin for me, ever!
July 15th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I can say that I agree with everything above. I have fully believed that pitocin and epidural during my labor is what triggered Autism in my son. My son is the second child in our immediate family to be diagnosed. Both of us (mothers) had pitocin and epidural with our labors. I do feel that adding pitocin to a young males body when it is really a foreign agent may be part of the reason they seem to have the exact opposite affect of what pitocin/oxytocin is suppose to have. My question now is where is the disconnect in the brain. If the cerebellum is responsible for speech, what can be done to assist with getting the information inside to come out. Thank you for this website.
July 21st, 2010 at 2:55 am
First off it needs to be pointed out that all of the above referenced come form “magazines” and not medical journals. Thus all of these questions are posed by people looking at statistics and not actually conducting a formal case study containing 500+ individuals with the exception to the small research which observed no correlation between less than 100. Dr Eric Hollanders “hypothesis” from 1998 has been repeated on many sites such as this but has never been cited in a medical journal, published medical research or other recognized medical forum so one would ask why after 12 years are we referring to a hypothesis that he himself either investigated fully and did not care for the findings or just didn’t even continue investigating further.
I’m a person that goes off clinical research results. Autism is a situation where people are grasping at straws for a correlation so they can act to prevent. Try looking at the newengland journal of medicine for a recent publication where a formal clinical trial found when looking at over 500+ autistic children they all had two mutated genes when compaired to neurotypical children. Mutations in genes occur durring early development, not durring birth and are often hereditary. Ie debunking this article.
July 21st, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Hi Justin, I agreed with you that we shouldn’t based our ideas/decisions on hearsay of the general mass media like TV, magazine, advertising from drug companies, etc. This blog was written to provoke giving a second thoughts about the consequences of invasive childbirth. Not so sure about the New England Journal of Medicine as being credible source as they have their own problems of doctoring up data of research. Just google around for this conspiracy.
July 22nd, 2010 at 12:06 am
Hi Monica, try oxygenated the brain using HBOT to see if it helps for the cerebellum section and continue speech therapy.