Abstract :
This paper develops a mathematical model describing the potential buildup of high oxytocin concentrations in the maternal
circulation during labor in terms of continuous Pitocin infusion rate, half-life, and maternal weight. Oxytocin override of the
degradation of oxytocin by placental oxytocinase is introduced to model the potential transfer of oxytocin from the maternal
circulation across the placenta into the fetal circulation and from there into the brain of the fetus. The desensitization unit D
equal to 1.8E6 (pg·min)/ml is employed to establish a desensitization threshold and by extension, a downregulation
threshold as a function of oxytocin override concentration and continuous Pitocin infusion time, that could be a factor in the
subsequent development of autism among offspring. Epidemiological studies by Duke University [1], Yale University [2],
and Harvard University [3] are discussed regarding Pitocin use and offspring autism development for an explanation of the
weak correlations they identified. The findings of the Harvard epidemiological study are reinterpreted regarding Pitocin use
and its conclusion questioned. Further evaluations of the findings of these three epidemiological studies are called for to
incorporate medical information on quantity of Pitocin used, continuous Pitocin infusion rate, length of labor, and maternal
weight to determine if a correlation can be established with offspring autism development above an empirically determined
desensitization threshold for Pitocin use. Suggestions for research are discussed, including an alternative to continuous
Pitocin infusion, pulsatile infusion of Pitocin during labor induction, which may mitigate possible offspring
autism development.
