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Cited by 61Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumNeuroendocrine regulation and behaviorBreastfeeding Practices and Influences

Oxytocin during breastfeeding and maternal mood symptoms

Open access
Whitley, Julia, Wouk, Kathryn, Bauer, Anna E., Grewen, Karen, Gottfredson, Nisha C., Meltzer-Brody, Samantha, Propper, Cathi, Mills-Koonce, Roger +2 more·2020·Psychoneuroendocrinology
DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104581PMC PMC8117182
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Abstract

This study aimed to quantify the relationship between postpartum depression and anxiety, oxytocin, and breastfeeding. We conducted a longitudinal prospective study of mother-infant dyads from the third trimester of pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. A sample of 222 women were recruited to complete the Beck Depression Inventory II and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state subscale, participate in observed infant feeding sessions at 2 and 6 months postpartum, and provide venous blood samples during feeding. Maternal venous oxytocin levels in EDTA-treated plasma and saliva were determined by enzyme immunoassay with extraction and a composite measure of area under the curve (AUC) was used to define oxytocin across a breastfeeding session. Linear regression was used to estimate associations between postpartum depression and anxiety as predictors and oxytocin AUC during breastfeeding as the outcome at both 2 and 6 months postpartum. Mixed models accounting for correlations between repeated oxytocin measures were used to quantify the association between current depression and/or anxiety symptoms and oxytocin profiles during breastfeeding. We found no significant differences in oxytocin AUC across a feed between depressed or anxious women and asymptomatic women at either 2 or 6 months postpartum. Repeated measures analyses demonstrated no differences in oxytocin trajectories during breastfeeding by symptom group but possible differences by antidepressant use. Our study suggests that external factors may influence the relationship between oxytocin, maternal mood symptoms, and infant feeding.

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  • Among breastfeeding mothers, those taking antidepressants had significantly lower oxytocin levels when breastfeeding than mothers not on medication.

    “Mothers taking antidepressants had significantly lower oxytocin levels when breastfeeding than mothers not on medication.”

    From The evolved nest, oxytocin functioning, and prosocial development (2023) · cites this paper as Whitley et al. (2020)

    The Results section reports a pattern of lower oxytocin across a breastfeed among mothers using antidepressants, but the comparison did not reach statistical significance (p=0.09). The Discussion likewise says the lower values at two months postpartum were not statistically significant. Thus, the direction of the comparison is supported, but “significantly” is not. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • Whitley et al. (2020) found that maternal anxiety and depressive scores were not related to oxytocin levels at either 2 or 6 months postpartum in breastfeeding mothers.

    “Maternal anxiety and depressive scores were not related to oxytocin levels at either time point.”

    From The evolved nest, oxytocin functioning, and prosocial development (2023) · cites this paper as Whitley et al. (2020)

  • Whitley et al. (2020) found evidence to challenge the claim that mothers who report more anxiety and depression demonstrate lower oxytocin when breastfeeding.

    “More recently, Whitley et al. (2020) found evidence to challenge this claim.”

    From The evolved nest, oxytocin functioning, and prosocial development (2023) · cites this paper as Whitley et al. (2020)

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Cited by

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Authors
Whitley, J., Wouk, K., Bauer, A. E., Grewen, K., Gottfredson, N. C., Meltzer-Brody, S., Propper, C., Mills-Koonce, R., Pearson, B., & Stuebe, A.
Affiliations
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Whitley, Julia
ORCID
Venue
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-03
Volume
113
Pages
104581
ISSN
0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104581
PMC
PMC8117182
OpenAlex
W2997210765
Cited by
61
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3
FWCI
3.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Breastfeeding Practices and Influences
Keywords
oxytocin, breastfeeding, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, maternal mood, infant feeding, antidepressant use, mother-infant dyads, plasma oxytocin
MeSH terms
Adult, Affect, Anxiety, Breast Feeding, Depression, Female, Humans, Infant, Lactation, Mothers, Oxytocin, Pregnancy, Prospective Studies, Saliva, Depression, Postpartum, Postpartum Period

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