Women Fitness has made a sincere attempt to demystify oxytocin the
'Love Hormone' . Oxytocin is also called "love hormone" is being
increasingly shown to trigger a wide variety of physical and
psychological effects in both women and men. The hormone's
influence on our behavior and physiology originates in the
brain, where it's produced by the by a structure called the
hypothalamus, and then transfers to the pituitary gland which
releases into the bloodstream.. Like antennas picking up a
signal, oxytocin receptors are found on cells throughout the
body. Levels of the hormone tend to be higher during both
stressful and socially bonding experiences, according to the
American Psychological Association.
"It's like a hormone of attachment, you might say," said Carol
Rinkleib Ellison, a clinical psychologist in private practice in
Loomis, California and former assistant clinical psychiatry
professor at the University of California, San Francisco. "It
creates feelings of calm and closeness."
Thought scientists have long known about oxytocin's rolein
breastfeeding and childbirth, "We're just learning more about it
now," Ellison said. Widely dubbed the love hormone, numerous
other names have been given to oxytocin recently - hug hormone,
cuddle chemical, moral molecule, bliss hormone - since
researchers have begun to uncover its effects on behavior,
including its role in love, in addition to its female biological
functions in reproduction.
Oxytocin is a mammalian neurohypophysial hormone. Produced in
the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus by
nerve axons, and stored in the posterior pituitary gland,
oxytocin acts primarily as a neuromodulator in the brain.
Oxytocin plays an important role in the neuroanatomy of
intimacy, specifically in sexual reproduction of both sexes, in
particular during and after childbirth. It is released in large
amounts after distension of the cervix and uterus during labor,
facilitating birth, maternal bonding, and, after stimulation of
the nipples, lactation. Both childbirth and milk ejection result
from positive feedback mechanisms.
Recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin's role in
various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, pair
bonding, anxiety, and maternal behaviors. For this reason, it is
sometimes referred to as the "bonding hormone". There is some
evidence that oxytocin promotes ethnocentric behavior,
incorporating the trust and empathy of in-groups with their
suspicion and rejection of outsiders. Furthermore, genetic
differences in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) have been
associated with maladaptive social traits such as aggressive
behaviour.
It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential
Medicines, a list of the most important medications needed in a
basic health system.
Oxytocin is a hormone that is made in the brain, in the
hypothalamus, and it is transported to, and secreted by, the
pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain.
Chemically it is known as a nonapeptide (a peptide containing
nine amino acids), and biologically, as a neuropeptide. It acts
both as a hormone and as a brain neurotransmitter.
The release of oxytocin by the pituitary gland acts to regulate
two female reproductive functions:
Childbirth
Breast-feeding.
The release of the hormone during labor makes the muscles of the
uterus, womb, contract - in other words, it increases uterine
motility. The release of oxytocin is triggered by the widening
of the cervix and vagina during labor, and this effect is in
turn increased by the subsequent contractions. The main role of
oxytocin is summed up nicely in a research paper by obstetric
and gynecology specialists Navneet Magon and Sanjay Kalra:
"It is released in large amounts during labor, and after
stimulation of the nipples. It is a facilitator for childbirth
and breastfeeding."
Other researchers sum up the reproductive importance of oxytocin
by saying it "serves the continued propagation of a species,"
adding that through evolution its "repertoire has expanded to
maintain a central role in more complicated aspects of
reproductive behavior. For these reasons, we call oxytocin the
great facilitator of life."
Oxytocin, used as a prescription drug, is also known by the
brand name Pitocin.
Doctors prescribe oxytocin to start birth contractions or
strengthen them during labor. It is also used to reduce bleeding
after child delivery. The drug also has a role in the medical
termination of pregnancy or during miscarriage.
The release of the hormone during labor makes the muscles of the
uterus, womb, contract - in other words, it increases uterine
motility. The release of oxytocin is triggered by the widening
of the cervix and vagina during labor, and this effect is in
turn increased by the subsequent contractions. The main role of
oxytocin is summed up nicely in a research paper by obstetric
and gynecology specialists Navneet Magon and Sanjay Kalra: