oxytocin
/ˌɒksɪˈtəʊsɪn
/noun [mass noun] Biochemistry
A hormone released by the pituitary gland that causes increased contraction of the womb during labour and stimulates the ejection of milk into the ducts of the breasts.Suckling causes the mother's pituitary gland to release two hormones, oxytocin and prolactin....
- There, hormones called prolactin and oxytocin are released into the bloodstream.
- The plan was to use a gradually increasing concentration of oxytocin in order to stimulate uterine contractions.
Derivatives
oxytocic
- The score was not influenced by use of epidural anesthesia, oxytocic agents, or prostaglandins.
- Patients taking certain medications, including alpha- and beta-adrenergic blocking agents, oxytocic medications, sympathomimetic agents, general anesthetics, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors are more sensitive.
- Although the research isolated prostaglandins from other forms of induction, it failed to isolate those women induced specifically with oxytocic drugs and those who were not induced but were given augmentation.
Origin
1920s: from Greek oxutokia 'sudden delivery' (from oxus 'sharp' + tokos 'childbirth') + -in1.
- accommodatory
- accommode
- accomodator
- accompagnato
- accompanier
- accompaniment
- accompanist
- accompany
- accomplement
- accomplice
- accompliceship
- accomplicity
- accomplish
- accomplishable
- accomplished
- accomplished fact
- accomplisher
- accomplishment
- accomplishment quotient
- accord
- accordable
- accordance
- accordancy
- accordant
- accordantly