A dose of the 'cuddle hormone' could be the key to tackling postnatal depression AND aid weight loss, experts discover READ MORE: Twenty surprising things your hormones make you do By Emily Stearn, Health Reporter For Mailonline Published: 04:22 EDT, 4 July 2024 | Updated: 04:58 EDT, 4 July 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Scientists today hailed a 'breakthrough' after uncovering a major potential treatment for postnatal depression . Until now, experts were unsure exactly what triggers the condition despite the fact that one in ten women are affected before or after giving birth. But researchers in the US and UK have discovered those affected may be missing genes that allow the body to produce the hormone oxytocin.
Dubbed the 'cuddle hormone', oxytocin is released during childbirth, breastfeeding and in response to hugging, helping stimulate feelings of attachment. Without sufficient amounts, new mothers may struggle to bond with their baby, triggering low mood. Now experts suggest developing new oxytocin medicines may be a way to help combat these symptoms.
Until now, experts were unsure exactly what triggers postnatal depression. But researchers in the US and UK have discovered some women may be missing the gene that helps them produce oxytocin, often dubbed the 'cuddle hormone' Professor Sadaf Farooqi from the Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge : 'We have made a breakthrough in understanding postnatal depression, a serious health problem about which v.
