Background Oxytocin is a key hormone in childbirth, and synthetic oxytocin is widely administered to induce or speed labour. Due to lack of synthetized knowledge, we conducted a systematic review of maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during physiological childbirth, and in response to infusions of synthetic oxytocin, if reported in the included studies. Methods An a priori protocol was designed and a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO in October 2015. Search hits were screened on title and abstract after duplicates were removed ( n = 4039), 69 articles were examined in full-text and 20 papers met inclusion criteria. As the articles differed in design and methodology used for analysis of oxytocin levels, a narrative synthesis was created and the material was categorised according to effects. Results Basal levels of oxytocin increased 3–4-fold during pregnancy. Pulses of oxytocin occurred with increasing frequency, duration, and amplitude, from late pregnancy through labour, reaching a maximum of 3 pulses/10 min towards the end of labour. There was a maximal 3- to 4-fold rise in oxytocin at birth. Oxytocin pulses also occurred in the third stage of labour associated with placental expulsion. Oxytocin peaks during labour did not correlate in time with individual uterine contractions, suggesting additional mechanisms in the control of contractions. Oxytocin levels were also raised in the cerebrospinal fluid during labour, indicating that oxytocin is released into the brain, as well as into the circulation. Oxytocin released into the brain induces beneficial adaptive effects during birth and postpartum. Oxytocin levels following infusion of synthetic oxytocin up to 10 mU/min were similar to oxytocin levels in physiological labour. Oxytocin levels doubled in response to doubling of the rate of infusion of synthetic oxytocin. Conclusions Plasma oxytocin levels increase gradually during pregnancy, and during the first and second stages of labour, with increasing size and frequency of pulses of oxytocin. A large pulse of oxytocin occurs with birth. Oxytocin in the circulation stimulates uterine contractions and oxytocin released within the brain influences maternal physiology and behaviour during birth. Oxytocin given as an infusion does not cross into the mother’s brain because of the blood brain barrier and does not influence brain function in the same way as oxytocin during normal labour does. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12884-019-2365-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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health psychology report • volume 3(2), 5 original article background The general objective of the project was to verify the role the partner's empathy plays in the perceived adjustment to parenthood. Couple empathy and especially partner's perspective-taking have been linked to better adaptation to parenthood, through increasing the quality of communication between parents or through reducing problems experienced during transition to parenthood. Empathy has been promoted among couples preparing for parenthood, for example during antenatal classes. participants and procedure Two studies were conducted. The first study included 121 young mothers of children in their first year of life. They completed measures of adjustment to parenthood, postpartum depression, satisfaction with romantic relationship, and partner's perceived empathy. In addition, women assessed factors associated with labour and midwife care. The second study involved 112 couples during transition to parenthood. Those couples were randomly assigned to experimental conditions using instructions in which they were asked to imagine a) one's own or b) the partner's situation after the child's birth, and completed the questionnaire measuring expected adjustment to parenthood. results Male perceived empathy, relational satisfaction and postpartum depression were predictors of adjustment to motherhood in Study 1. In addition, the more empathy females perceived in their partners, the lower was the level of postpartum depression they declared. Couples empathizing with the partner in Study 2 perceived the challenges of parenthood in a similar way. Future mothers perceived more parenthood problems only when assuming their own perspective. conclusions The results of the studies indicate that empathy plays an important role in shaping adjustment to parenthood, especially motherhood. Low-dosage interventions might help couples to become aware of their mutual problems concerning transition to parenthood, when conducting longer programmes is not possible.

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