Oxytocin is secreted naturally by the posterior pituitary—the back portion of a small gland at the brain’s base that produces hormones—during later pregnancy, labor, and when the baby breastfeeds. Synthetic forms of oxytocin are found in brand-name products as well as in generic form. In moderate doses, oxytocin produces slow, generalized contractions of the muscles in the uterus with full relaxation in between. When used for postpartum hemorrhage, oxytocin takes effect sooner than most other uterotonic drugs, including misoprostol. 9 One of the major drawbacks of oxytocin, however, is that it is temperature sensitive, and loses effectiveness after three months of.
