Oxytocin results: what to expect and when

Approved Pitocin use is short-term care around childbirth, with treatment length set by the hospital team.

A 2011 review covered 38 separate nasal-spray trials. This is a minimum count that leaves out later research and childbirth trials.

Key studies

• Preventing bleeding after birth: Preventive oxytocin reduced bleeding versus placebo or no uterotonic. (source)
• Cochrane update: 122 birth trials: The updated birth-prevention review supports oxytocin as a standard comparator. (source)
• Trust in a laboratory game: A laboratory trust effect helped launch social-cognition research. (source)
• Adults with autism: 6 weeks: Primary outcomes were negative; some secondary measures improved. (source)
• Adult autism crossover: 6 weeks: A small crossover trial found better social-reciprocity scores. (source)
• Autism dose finding: 16 or 32 IU/day: Neither dose improved the overall trial population. (source)