ArticleJournal of women's health (2002)2013
Association between maternal mood and oxytocin response to breastfeeding.
Article in Journal of women's health (2002), 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 119 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
119 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 294 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurobiological insights into perinatal depression: a multi-dimensional integration of brain structure, function, and metabolism.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Incidence and factors influencing delayed onset of lactation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International breastfeeding journal · 2024Pooled it
- Guilt, shame, and postpartum infant feeding outcomes: A systematic review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Oxytocin and postpartum depression: A systematic review.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The effectiveness of interventions using relaxation therapy to improve breastfeeding outcomes: A systematic review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2018Pooled it
- Biological and psychosocial predictors of postpartum depression: systematic review and call for integration.Annual review of clinical psychology · 2015Pooled it
- ABM Clinical Protocol #18: Use of Antidepressants in Breastfeeding Mothers.Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding MedicineGuideline
- Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes.Women's health (London, England)Pooled it
- The Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin Administration on Sensitive Caregiving in Mothers with Postnatal Depression.Child psychiatry and human development · 2017Trial
- Oxytocin increases VTA activation to infant and sexual stimuli in nulliparous and postpartum women.Hormones and behavior · 2015Trial
- A Test of Kangaroo Care on Preterm Infant Breastfeeding.Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNNTrial
- Efficacy of a Breastfeeding Pain Self-Management Intervention: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Nursing researchTrial
- Beyond lactation: Central oxytocin in maternal mental health and disease.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2026Review
- Perinatal depression and breastfeeding: a longitudinal investigation of the bidirectional relationship in Pakistan.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- The Breastfeeding Experiences of Mother-Infant Dyads and the Effects of an FMR1 Mutation.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Breastfeeding in the Context of Trauma and Previous Psychological Experiences: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Association of early initiation of breastfeeding on postpartum depression-multi-centric longitudinal cohort study in Nepal.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Perinatal Depression: Current Knowledge.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Article
59 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPostpartum depression is associated with reduced breastfeeding duration. We previously hypothesized that shared neuroendocrine mechanisms underlie this association. We sought to measure the association between maternal mood and neuroendocrine response to breastfeeding.
methodsWe conducted a longitudinal cohort study of women recruited during pregnancy who intended to breastfeed. Baseline depression and anxiety history were assessed with a structured clinical interview. We measured mood symptoms using validated psychometric instruments, and we quantified affect and neuroendocrine responses to breastfeeding during laboratory visits at 2 and 8 weeks postpartum.
resultsWe recruited 52 women who intended to breastfeed, among whom 47 completed 8-week follow-up. Duration and intensity of breastfeeding through 8 weeks were similar among mothers with lower versus higher anxiety and depression scores. In the third trimester, oxytocin was inversely correlated with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score (p=0.03). We did not find differences in neuroendocrine profile during breastfeeding at 2 weeks postpartum. Among the 39 women who breastfed at 8 weeks postpartum, oxytocin area under the curve during breastfeeding was inversely correlated with maternal EPDS and STAI-State and STAI-Trait anxiety scores (all p≤0.01). Higher anxiety and depression scores was further associated with lower oxytocin (group p<0.05) during feeding. During feeding at both visits, higher anxiety and depression scores were also associated with more negative affect: mothers reported feeling less happy and more depressed, overwhelmed, and stressed during feeding than women with lower scores.
conclusionSymptoms of depression and anxiety were associated with differences in oxytocin response and affect during breastfeeding.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.