New International Study Suggests Previous Research Finding an Association Was Flawed
A joint population-based retrospective cohort study from researchers in Canada and Israel has found that inducing labor through oxytocin administration does not increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. The current study’s design examined nine different exposure groups from the two countries that were not mutually exclusive. In Canada, 170,013 (41.0%) of the cohort’s deliveries were not induced or augmented, 107,543 (26.0%) were exposed to oxytocin during induction and/or augmentation, and 136,780 (33.0%) were induced or augmented but not exposed to oxytocin. In Israel, 51,790 (62.5%) of the cohort’s deliveries were not induced or augmented, 28,852 (34.8%) were exposed to oxytocin during induction and/or augmentation, and 2,250 (2.7%) were induced or augmented but not exposed to oxytocin. The participants were followed for a mean of 8.43 years in the Canadian cohort and 4.33 years in the Israeli cohort to determine if an autism diagnosis was given. After analyzing the data and adjusting for maternal sociodemographic characteristics, pregnancy conditions and risk factors, labor and delivery characteristics and neonatal characteristics, the authors concluded that no associations were found in their primary analysis between oxytocin induction and the risk of ASD in offspring. This finding contradicts a 2016 study that identified a higher risk of autism in infants born to mothers who received pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) during labor. The authors of this current study suggest that the mother or infant’s underlying health issues were not considered and likely confounded previous research, linking autism to oxytocin use to induce labor.
