Can i get oxytocin

You know those warm and fuzzy feelings you get when you cuddle a puppy, hug your friend, or kiss your partner? You may already have heard of oxytocin—what people have called the love hormone, cuddle hormone, or even the moral molecule.

This is because oxytocin has been in the headlines, gaining a reputation for making people more trusting, generous, and even more in love. Oxytocin is also a hormone, meaning that the brain releases it into the bloodstream to communicate with the body.

Clearly, this little brain chemical has some big jobs—it plays a role in sex, childbirth, bonding, social interaction, emotions, and many other functions important to us mammals.

Our brains produce it naturally, but there's also synthetic oxytocin that is sometimes used therapeutically. We also share information about your use of our site with our analytics partners. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.

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Delivering oxytocin through a nasal spray has allowed researchers to observe its effects on behavior. In , research published in Psychopharmacology found that intranasal oxytocin improved self-perception in social situations and increased personality traits such as warmth, trust, altruism, and openness. In , a study published in PNAS suggested that oxytocin may help keep men faithful to their partners, by activating the reward centers in the brain.

In , researchers published findings in the journal Emotion suggesting that people saw facial expression of emotions in others more intensely after receiving oxytocin through a nasal spray. Oxytocin has been proposed as a possible treatment for social phobia , autism , and postpartum depression.

Scientists have proposed that it might help improve interpersonal and individual wellbeing, and that it could have applications for people with some neuropsychiatric disorders. They believe it could help people who avoid social interaction, and those who experience persistent fear and an inability to trust others. Children with autism could benefit from oxytocin, say some researchers. In , a small study suggested that oxytocin levels in the brain affected how 17 children perceived a series of social and non-social images.

Oxytocin may also play a role in anger management. Research has indicated that certain polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor OXTR gene are associated with an increased tendency to react angrily to situations. In particular, differences in OXTR gene expression appear to affect the regulation of the relationship between alcohol and aggressive behavior. Oxytocin appears to increase the release of prostaglandin E2 PGE2 in cells lining the intestine.

This helps to encourage the repair of intestinal injury and to protect against such injury. If this is confirmed, oxytocin could be a useful therapy for preventing chemo-radiotherapy-induced intestine injury, and it could be used to treat irritable bowel syndrome IBS. Participants in a study were more likely to lie for the benefit of others in the same group after receiving oxytocin.

While it is natural to experience hormonal imbalances at certain times in life, such as puberty, menopause, and pregnancy, some hormonal changes are…. Crying is a natural and often uncontrollable reaction we have to sadness, grief, joy, and pain. Is crying good for your health? Oxytocin in Childbirth Oxytocin is produced in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, and is stored in the pituitary gland.

Alternately, drugs that act against oxytocin are often given to help stop premature labor. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking. Oxytocin injections, childbirth, National Institutes of Health.