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3rd Trimester
Pitocin and Autism
I work in special education, so I have a lot of students who fall into the autism spectrum, more each year. Recently, one of my coworkers mentioned to me that there have been studies showing links between the use of pitocin during L&D and the diagnosis of autism for the child later on, especially in male children. I did a little research and there are some studies that suggest it, but no definite proof. They each suggest that the overabundance of synthetic oxytocin that crosses the placenta has something to do with the child being unable to function socially and show/ feel love, which is something children with autism experience and struggle with. (The overabundance "deadens" their ability to feel authentic oxytocin releases, if I understand it correctly.)
I'm interested to know if others have opinions on this and if so, will it change the way you dictate your birthing experience? (For instance, will you indicate a preference against pitocin in your birth plan?)
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Re: Pitocin and Autism
One reason why the # has gone up is because they have broadened the "spectrum".
I would bet if we all took a look, most of us would be considered autistic under the new guidelines.
Most geniuses would have been diagnosed Autistic by today's standards.
Doctors haven't been able to prove an autisim link to anything. It's all theory and speculation.
It's not going to change my birth plan one way or the other. However, researchers, doctors,etc can't pinpoint what causes Autism. Personally I think it's a many different things interacting with each other. Yes, there has been an increase in diganosis, but the classification and what qualifies has been widen. What used to be classified as a general behavioral disorder now may fall under the umbrella spectrum. My mom is a special ed teacher who specializes in autism, those are the only kids she works with and has for the last 15+years. I have read a lot of the research info and other materials she would have around the house (I'm a dork like that).
Honestly, this is actually what I do for a living. I'm willing to admit that something in the environment is causing PDD and other social/cog delays, but I'm not sold on any one thing. If it were one thing causing autism...it would have been pegged. In fact the only things we can be certain about at this point is that some children are predisposed to the disorders genetically and that there is in fact some sort of environmental trigger.
I can tell you of the 30 plus cased that I have really familiar with, students I have worked with and children I have advocated for through consulting and ed advocacy, only four or maybe five of those children were induced with pitocin. A few of them were exposed to recreational drugs..... All of them accinated, but whose to say which of these factors triggered?
I don't know. If I need to be induced for safety, the best I can do for my baby is have him safely. Its the same thought process with vaccinations. I will have an alternative schedule and a plan on how I'll do it. But I don't really want my baby to get preventible dangerous diseases either.
As noted by the previous poster, I happen to believe that autism is a multifactorial condition. I don't believe in a smoking gun such as mercury in vaccines or pitocin, in this case. There is the possibility of this combined with certain genetics...
I work in early intervention and have taken several continuing education classes. More and more research is pointing to the fact that autism begins in utero.
Trying not to worry. There are so many things that could happen (and I happen to know most worst case scenarios as I treat them,) that it is best to put it in God's hands versus mine and take things one step at a time.
I've worked with individuals and families affected by Autism for 10+ years, and read all the medical histories of every single family/indivduals I meet so probably 150-200 per year and there is ABSOLUTELY no commonality in pitocin in their births. I can say with 100% certainty the common element for all individuals/families is a history of mental health issues including depression, bipolar disorder and learning disabilities within the immediate family.
Also, it always appears as though Autism/PDD is becoming an epidemic but when looking at the rates of MR or Intellectual Disability there is a downward trend, more children are being diagnosed with PDD now than MR/ID.
I would hardly make any decisions based on speculation and a loose correlation.
Correlation does not equal causation. The use of pitocin in general has increased with more labor inductions over the years. The incidence of autism diagnosis (not necessarily autism itself) has increased over recent years due to a broadening of the diagnosis.
Hell, gas prices have gone up over recent years, and so has the rate of autism diagnosis, but I don't think high gas prices cause autism.
I agree that it is all theory and speculation, but everything you typed is ridiculous. A child with autism is very obviously different than one without. Regardless of the spectrum being more broad, the needs of students with autism ARE unique. Please inform yourself before typing.
Perhaps you should educate yourself. A child with PDD is not easy to pick out in a crowd. Some kids that might have been described as "quirky" a decade or two ago are now being diagnosed on the spectrum. And a lot of people have sensory integration issues that are within normal range, but could also be considered on the extreme mild end of the spectrum. And it is now thought that geniuses like Mozart and Einstein would likely be diagnosed as autistic today. Doesn't sound like you are too well informed on the topic.
A fellow math nerd? ?High five! ? I keep trying to explain this stuff to my mom, but she tends to jump on whatever bandwagon is supposed to explain autism. ? I understand that she's trying to find a reason for what has happened with my brother. ?
She got really upset when I told her I was getting a flu vaccine; she was convinced that I may have sentenced my daughter to autism spectrum disorder. ?Sigh. ?