Is There an Association Between Oxytocin Levels in Plasma and Pregnant Women's Mental Health?

Mood and anxiety disorders are prevalent in women during peripartum. Purpose of the present article was to study the relationship between oxytocin (OT) plasma levels and affective symptoms in women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Thirty-four pregnant women (13 with an affective disorder, 9 with preeclampsia, and 12 controls) were evaluated through the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI-Y), and the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI).