SynthesisPsychoneuroendocrinology2020
Oxytocin and postpartum depression: A systematic review.
Synthesis in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 3 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.
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Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association between mitochondrial DNA levels and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Regulatory Role of PFC Corticotropin-Releasing Factor System in Stress-Associated Depression Disorders: A Systematic Review.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2023Pooled it
- Maternal and newborn plasma oxytocin levels in response to maternal synthetic oxytocin administration during labour, birth and postpartum - a systematic review with implications for the function of the oxytocinergic system.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Pooled it
- Clinical effectiveness, implementation effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a community singing intervention for postnatal depressive symptoms, SHAPER-PND: randomised controlled trial.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2025Trial
- Effect of esketamine on serum neurotransmitters in patients with postpartum depression: a randomized controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2024Trial
- Beyond lactation: Central oxytocin in maternal mental health and disease.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2026Review
- Intrapartum Oxytocin and Maternal Outcomes Following Vaginal and Unscheduled Cesarean Delivery.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Physiological Mechanisms in Pregnancy and Their Relevance to the Clinical Management of Perinatal Mental Illness.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Advances in Perinatal Depression: A Focus on Screening and Treatment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- The role of serum oxytocin levels in the third trimester of pregnancy in the incidence of postpartum depressive symptoms.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Breastfeeding and later depression and anxiety in mothers in Ireland: a 10-year prospective observational study.BMJ open · 2026Observational
- Development and validation of a risk prediction model of delayed onset of lactogenesis among mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective multicenter study.Frontiers in clinical diabetes and healthcare · 2026Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression, anxiety, and comorbidity of both disorders: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Differences in infant feeding methods at one month postpartum among women with psychiatric disorders and factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Probiotic L. reuteri treatment in stressed rats improves maternal care and corrects corticosterone-BDNF-oxytocin balance offering insights for maternal postpartum distress treatment.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Activation of the Oxytocin System in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Improves Stress-Induced Postpartum Depression-Like Behavior in Rats.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2025Article
- Postpartum Depression Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, and Management: An Appraisal of the Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Gestational stress disrupts dopamine and oxytocin signaling in the postpartum reward system of rats: implications for mood, motivation and mothering.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Salivary oxytocin responses to infant stimuli vary by EPDS scores among postpartum Japanese mothers without clinically diagnosed postpartum depression.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- Trajectories of changes in oxytocin and vasopressin before, during, and after mother-infant interaction: a descriptive study of mothers and infants affected by postpartum depression.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
1 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
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant mental health concern, especially for women in vulnerable populations. Oxytocin (OT), a hormone essential for a variety of maternal tasks, including labor, lactation, and infant bonding, has also been hypothesized to have a role in postpartum depression. Women are routinely given synthetic oxytocin to induce or augment labor and to prevent postpartum hemorrhage. The aim of this study was to review the quality and reliability of literature that examines potential relationships between OT and PPD to determine if there is sufficient data to reliably assess the strength of these relationships. We conducted a literature search in December of 2018 using five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycInfo, and CINAHL). Eligible studies were identified, selected, and appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale and Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias, as appropriate. Sixteen studies were included in the analysis and broken into two categories: correlations of endogenous OT with PPD and administration of synthetic OT with PPD. Depressive symptoms were largely measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. OT levels were predominately measured in plasma, though there were differences in laboratory methodology and control of confounders (primarily breast feeding). Of the twelve studies focused on endogenous oxytocin, eight studies suggested an inverse relationship between plasma OT levels and depressive symptoms. We are not able to draw any conclusions regarding the relationship between intravenous synthetic oxytocin and postpartum depression based on current evidence due to the heterogeneity and small number of studies (n = 4). Considering limitations of the current literature and the current clinical prevalence of synthetic OT administration, we strongly recommend that rigorous studies examining the effects of synthetic OT exposure on PPD should be performed as well as continued work in defining the relationship between endogenous OT and PPD.
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