Effects of Breast Stimulation for Spontaneous Onset of Labor on Salivary Oxytocin Levels in Low-risk Pregnant Women: A Feasibility Study

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2018 Feb 16

PMID 29447299

Citations 4

Authors

Kaori Takahata

Shigeko Horiuchi

Yuriko Tadokoro

Takuya Shuo

Erika Sawano

Kazuyuki Shinohara

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: This preliminary study aimed to 1) determine changes in the salivary oxytocin (OT) level during breast stimulation for promoting the spontaneous onset of labor in low-risk term pregnancies, and 2) clarify the feasibility of the breast stimulation intervention protocol in terms of practicality and acceptability.

Methods: We used a single arm trial design. Sixteen low-risk pregnant women between 38 and 40 weeks of gestation with cephalic presentation participated. They performed breast stimulation for 3 days with an attendant midwife in a single maternity hospital. Each breast was stimulated for 15 minutes for a total of 1 hour per day. Saliva was collected 10 minutes before the intervention and 15, 30, 60, 75, and 90 minutes after the intervention, yielding 18 samples per woman.

Results: Among a total of 282 saliva samples from the 16 participants, OT level was measured in 142 samples (missing rate: 49.6%). The median OT level showed the highest values on day 3 of the breast stimulation, with a marked increase 30 min after the intervention. In the mixed models after multiple imputation for missing data, the OT level on the first day of intervention was significantly lower than that on the third day of intervention. Fatigue from breast stimulation decreased on subsequent days, and most of the women (75%) felt no discomfort with the protocol. Uterine hyperstimulation was not observed.

Conclusion: Following a 3-day breast stimulation protocol for spontaneous onset of labor, the mean OT level showed the highest values on day 3. The breast stimulation intervention protocol showed good feasibility in terms of practicality and acceptability among the pregnant women. Additional large-scale studies are warranted to confirm the protocol's effectiveness.

Citing Articles

A longitudinal study of the association of epidural anesthesia and low-dose synthetic oxytocin regimens with breast milk supply and breastfeeding rates.

Takahata K, Horiuchi S, Miyauchi A, Tadokoro Y, Shuo T Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):21146.

PMID: 38036700 PMC: 10689802. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48584-6.

Use and Effects of Augmentation of Labor with Oxytocin: A Single-Center, Retrospective, Case-Control Study of 4350 Women in Warsaw, Poland, 2015-2020.

Baczek G, Rychlewicz S, Budner M, Kowalska I, Galazkowski R, Teliga-Czajkowska J Med Sci Monit. 2022; 28:e937557.

PMID: 35982582 PMC: 9397144. DOI: 10.12659/MSM.937557.

Antenatal breastmilk expression for women with diabetes in pregnancy - a feasibility study.

Johnsen M, Klingenberg C, Brand M, Revhaug A, Andreassen G Int Breastfeed J. 2021; 16(1):56.

PMID: 34301285 PMC: 8299162. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-021-00393-1.

Oxytocin levels in low-risk primiparas following breast stimulation for spontaneous onset of labor: a quasi-experimental study.

Takahata K, Horiuchi S, Tadokoro Y, Sawano E, Shinohara K BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2019; 19(1):351.

PMID: 31604456 PMC: 6790060. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-019-2504-3.

References

Gregory S, Anthopolos R, Osgood C, Grotegut C, Miranda M . Association of autism with induced or augmented childbirth in North Carolina Birth Record (1990-1998) and Education Research (1997-2007) databases. JAMA Pediatr. 2013; 167(10):959-66. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.2904. View

Boulvain M, Stan C, Irion O . Membrane sweeping for induction of labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005; (1):CD000451. PMC: 7032890. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000451.pub2. View

Demirel G, Guler H . The Effect of Uterine and Nipple Stimulation on Induction With Oxytocin and the Labor Process. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2015; 12(5):273-80. DOI: 10.1111/wvn.12116. View

Elliott J, Flaherty J . The use of breast stimulation to prevent postdate pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1984; 149(6):628-32. DOI: 10.1016/0002-9378(84)90247-3. View

Amico J, Finley B . Breast stimulation in cycling women, pregnant women and a woman with induced lactation: pattern of release of oxytocin, prolactin and luteinizing hormone. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1986; 25(2):97-106. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1986.tb01670.x. View

Lee J, Jones P, Mineyama Y, Zhang X . Cultural differences in responses to a Likert scale. Res Nurs Health. 2002; 25(4):295-306. DOI: 10.1002/nur.10041. View

Feldman R, Gordon I, Schneiderman I, Weisman O, Zagoory-Sharon O . Natural variations in maternal and paternal care are associated with systematic changes in oxytocin following parent-infant contact. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2010; 35(8):1133-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.01.013. View

Curtis P, Resnick J, Evens S, Thompson C . A comparison of breast stimulation and intravenous oxytocin for the augmentation of labor. Birth. 2000; 26(2):115-22. DOI: 10.1046/j.1523-536x.1999.00115.x. View

Haefeli M, Elfering A . Pain assessment. Eur Spine J. 2005; 15 Suppl 1:S17-24. PMC: 3454549. DOI: 10.1007/s00586-005-1044-x. View

10.

White-Traut R, Watanabe K, Pournajafi-Nazarloo H, Schwertz D, Bell A, Carter C . Detection of salivary oxytocin levels in lactating women. Dev Psychobiol. 2009; 51(4):367-73. PMC: 2767206. DOI: 10.1002/dev.20376. View

11.

Adewole I, Franklin O, Matiluko A . Cervical ripening and induction of labour by breast stimulation. Afr J Med Med Sci. 1993; 22(4):81-5. View

12.

Oberg A, DOnofrio B, Rickert M, Hernandez-Diaz S, Ecker J, Almqvist C . Association of Labor Induction With Offspring Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders. JAMA Pediatr. 2016; 170(9):e160965. PMC: 5297393. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.0965. View

13.

Henderson J, Redshaw M . Women's experience of induction of labor: a mixed methods study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2013; 92(10):1159-67. DOI: 10.1111/aogs.12211. View

14.

Waldenstrom U, Hildingsson I, Rubertsson C, Radestad I . A negative birth experience: prevalence and risk factors in a national sample. Birth. 2004; 31(1):17-27. DOI: 10.1111/j.0730-7659.2004.0270.x. View

15.

Christensson K, Nilsson B, Stock S, Matthiesen A, Uvnas-Moberg K . Effect of nipple stimulation on uterine activity and on plasma levels of oxytocin in full term, healthy, pregnant women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1989; 68(3):205-10. DOI: 10.3109/00016348909020990. View

16.

Hoffman E, Brownley K, Hamer R, Bulik C . Plasma, salivary, and urinary oxytocin in anorexia nervosa: a pilot study. Eat Behav. 2012; 13(3):256-9. PMC: 3368224. DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2012.02.004. View

17.

Ross M, Ervin M, Leake R . Breast stimulation contraction stress test: uterine contractions in the absence of oxytocin release. Am J Perinatol. 1986; 3(1):35-7. DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-999822. View

18.

Grewen K, Davenport R, Light K . An investigation of plasma and salivary oxytocin responses in breast- and formula-feeding mothers of infants. Psychophysiology. 2010; 47(4):625-32. PMC: 3232406. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00968.x. View

19.

Salmon Y, Kee W, Tan S, Jen S . Cervical ripening by breast stimulation. Obstet Gynecol. 1986; 67(1):21-4. View

20.

Terkawi A, Jackson W, Thiet M, Hansoti S, Tabassum R, Flood P . Oxytocin and catechol-O-methyltransferase receptor genotype predict the length of the first stage of labor. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2012; 207(3):184.e1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2012.06.079. View