Unasked
Questions About Synthetic Oxytocin by Dr Michel Odent
PRIMAL HEALTH
RESEARCH
A NEW ERA IN HEALTH RESEARCH
Published quarterly by Primal Health Research
Centre
Charity No.328090
72, Savernake Road, London NW3 2JR
michelodent@googlemail.com
Summer 2010 Vol 18. No1
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(The importance of pre- and perinatal ecology)
BETWEEN THE MIDATLANTIC AND THE MIDPACIFIC CONFERENCES
(Reprinted here with persmission from Dr Michel
Odent)
UNASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SYNTHETIC OXYTOCIN
A labouring woman was puzzled
and even anxious when she received a drip of synthetic
oxytocin, The midwife immediately reassured her
that oxytocin is not like a drug: it is “natural”.
Perhaps this is why we ignore many questions regarding
what is undoubtedly the most common medical intervention
in childbirth on all five continents. Today, all
over the world, most women giving birth vaginally
get such a drip (called Syntocinon or Pitocin)
including those with an eventual operative delivery
by forceps or ventouse. Most women who undergo
a caesarean section during labour have had such
a drip before the decision to operate, and this
drip is usually continued for some hours after
the surgery. Even during and after a pre-labour
c-section, synthetic oxytocin is included in many
hospital protocols to facilitate uterine retraction.
Furthermore, the rates of labour inductions are
currently high, and induction almost always involves
the use of synthetic oxytocin.
PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS
This new situation raises important
questions. We must first wonder why modern women
need substitutes for the hormone that is naturally
released by the posterior pituitary gland. Is
it because their oxytocin system is disturbed?
Is the capacity to effectively release oxytocin
depleted from generation to generation, as a result
of several aspects of modern life, particularly
medicalised birth? This is a vital question for
the future of civilisation, since the oxytocin
system is involved in sociability, capacity to
love, and potential for aggression. Is it mostly
cultural conditioning in a context of industrialised
childbirth? In this latter case the current situation
might be reversible. If it is simply a matter
of environment at birth, we need to improve our
understanding of the birth process. In fact, we
must explore the possible contribution of multiple
factors.
Other questions address the substances
that might cross the placenta and reach the unborn
baby. For example, the kind of fluid used to transport
synthetic oxytocin. In earlier times, glucose
drips were routine during labour. These infusions
were not benign because simple sugar molecules
rapidly cross the placenta while the mother’s
insulin—released in response—fails
to reach the fetal bloodstream. There is thus
a risk of excessive insulin production generated
by the baby's pancreas in response to these circulating
high blood sugar levels. Extensive research has
confirmed the risks of neonatal hypoglycemia.(1
to 7) These studies led to the replacement of
glucose drips during labour by other liquids,
such as Ringer’s solution. The results of
such studies also apply to labouring women without
a drip of synthetic oxytocin if they are encouraged
to consume sugar or soft drinks. This is not always
understood by the natural childbirth groups. Furthermore,
if labour progresses spontaneously, adrenaline
type hormone levels are low, voluntary muscles
are at rest, and these women don’t need
added energy.(8)
CAN SYNTHETIC OXTOCIN CROSS THE PLACENTA?
When we finally acknowledge
that all over the world most women receive synthetic
oxytocin while giving birth, we can no longer
deny problems arising from the possible transfer
of oxytocin via the placenta. One can wonder why
it remains an unexplored issue. The main reason,
as we have suggested, might be that oxytocin is
not considered a “real” medication
because chemically the synthetic form is no different
from the natural hormone: it is a simple molecule
(a nonapeptide). However, the problem is not simple
because the amount of oxytocin reaching the maternal
blood stream via an intravenous drip is enormous
compared with the amount of natural oxytocin the
posterior pituitary gland can release. Furthermore,
natural oxytocin is released through pulsations,
while synthetic oxytocin is delivered continuously.
Another reason for ignoring this issue might be
the discovery of enzymes that metabolize oxytocin
(oxytocinases) in the placenta. This finding might
have led to a hasty, tacit conclusion that synthetic
oxytocin does not reach the baby.
Until now, there has been only
one serious article published on this subject.(9)
A team from Arkansas concluded that oxytocin crosses
the placenta in both directions—after measuring
concentrations of oxytocin in maternal blood,
in the blood of the umbilical vein and umbilical
arteries, and also after perfusions of placental
cotyledons. More precisely, the permeability is
higher in the maternal-to-fetal direction than
in the reverse. Eighty percent of the blood reaching
the fetus via the umbilical vein goes directly
to the inferior vena cava via the ductus venosus,
bypassing the liver, and therefore reaching the
fetal brain immediately: it is all the more direct
since the shunts (foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus)
are not yet closed.
Since there is a high probability
that a significant amount of synthetic oxytocin
can reach the fetal brain, we must investigate
the permeability of the so-called blood brain
barrier at this phase of human development. This
“barrier” implies a separation of
circulating blood from cerebrospinal fluid in
the central nervous system. It restricts the diffusion
of microscopic particles, including bacteria,
and molecules such as oxytocin. However, Australian
researchers presented evidence that the developing
brain is more permeable to small lipid-insoluble
molecules and that specific mechanisms, such as
those involved in transfer of amino acids, develop
gradually as the brain grows.(10) Furthermore,
it appears that the permeability of the blood-brain
barrier can increase under the influence of oxidative
stress(11,12,13), that commonly results when a
synthetic oxytocin drip is administered during
labor.(14) Therefore, we have serious reasons
to be concerned if we consider the widely-documented
concept of “oxytocin-induced desensitization
of oxytocin receptors”.(15,16,17,18) It
is probable that, at a quasi-global level, we
routinely interfere with the development of the
oxytocin system of human beings at a critical
phase for gene-environment interaction. Within
the framework of accepted scientific knowledge,
we must acknowledge the important role of oxytocin,
particularly in sociability, the capacity to love
(of others and love of oneself) as well as the
potential for aggression (aggression towards oneself
and towards others).(19) Interfering in normal
reproductive physiology raises critical issues.
For example: “Is there a link between the
increased incidence of disorders associated with
documented alterations of the oxytocin system
(such as autism(20,21) and anorexia nervosa(22,23))
and the widespread use of intravenous drips during
labour?” “What will be the impact
on the evolution of our civilizations?”
We may even wonder if the widespread use of synthetic
oxytocin can induce an unprecedented cultural
revolution.
Such questions should inspire a new generation
of research.
PLASTIC RELATED SUBSTANCES
Of course, one cannot ignore
the toxic effects of phtalates, which are added
to plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to
increase their flexibility, transparency, and
longevity. The National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program
began studying phthalates following a discovery
that blood stored in PVC plastic bags for transfusions
contained significant concentrations of phthalates.(24)
The most common phthalate is di-ethylhexyl phthalate,
or DEHP. In bags for intravenous drips and tubing,
additives like DEHP can make up 40 or 50 percent
of the product.
There are several reasons why
this issue is critical. The first is that the
effects of phtalates on intellectual development
have already been demonstrated, in particular
by an authoritative South Korean study.(25) The
authors found that high urinary concentrations
of phthalate metabolites were associated with
lower intellectual quotients (IQ) among 667 children
at nine elementary schools. Another reason for
serious concern is that today most women spend
hours with an intravenous drip while giving birth.
There is an accumulation of data confirming the
transplacental transfer of phtalates among mammals
in general (26,27) and humans in particular.(28)
Most babies probably receive some amount of phtalates
during the critical period surrounding birth.
Is this amount negligible or dangerous? What are
the possible long-term consequences? It is essential
to emphasize that these phtalates pass directly
into the fetal bloodstream, with no possibility
of degradation in the digestive tract. Very sensitive
tests today can find a millionth of a gram, or
even less, of certain substances in blood or urine.
This measurement process is called biomonitoring.
In July 2006, an expert committee of the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) published the results
of a comprehensive study of biomonitoring. The
committee stated that, “In spite of its
potential, tremendous challenges surround the
use of biomonitoring, and our ability to generate
biomonitoring data has exceeded our ability to
interpret what the data mean to public health.”
Today, even the experts confess
that they are in the dark.
References
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