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Am J Perinatol 1986; 3(1): 35-37
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-999822
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

© 1986 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Breast Stimulation Contraction Stress Test: Uterine Contractions in the Absence of Oxytocin Release

Michael G. Ross, M. Gore Ervin, Rosemary D. Leake
  • Departments of Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, and the UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
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Publication Date:
04 March 2008 (online)

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ABSTRACT

The contraction stress test has been widely used to manage high-risk pregnancies. Breast-stimulated uterine contractions have been assumed to be mediated through oxytocin release. We studied 20 women undergoing a breast-stimulated contraction stress test. There was no significant increase in plasma oxytocin levels during this study in either test responders or nonresponders. These results suggest that the presence of a breast stimulation-uterine contraction reflex is not mediated by oxytocin.