Braxton Hicks contractions bring about oxytocin sensitivity.

Braxton Hicks contractions bring about oxytocin sensitivity.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Not sure
• D. Cannot determine

Answer: (A)

Braxton Hicks contractions are irregular, typically painless “practice” contractions that occur during pregnancy. They do not establish or increase the uterus’s ability to respond to oxytocin in the way true labor contractions do. In actual labor, the uterus becomes more sensitive to oxytocin because the myometrium increases oxytocin receptor density under hormonal influences (like estrogen) and prostaglandins drive rhythmic, effective contractions. That upregulation of receptors and the positive feedback of cervical dilation lead to stronger, more regular contractions—something Braxton Hicks do not reliably produce. So the statement isn’t correct because Braxton Hicks don’t bring about oxytocin sensitivity; true labor involves a hormonal and receptor change that makes the uterus more responsive to oxytocin.

Braxton Hicks contractions are irregular, typically painless “practice” contractions that occur during pregnancy. They do not establish or increase the uterus’s ability to respond to oxytocin in the way true labor contractions do. In actual labor, the uterus becomes more sensitive to oxytocin because the myometrium increases oxytocin receptor density under hormonal influences (like estrogen) and prostaglandins drive rhythmic, effective contractions. That upregulation of receptors and the positive feedback of cervical dilation lead to stronger, more regular contractions—something Braxton Hicks do not reliably produce. So the statement isn’t correct because Braxton Hicks don’t bring about oxytocin sensitivity; true labor involves a hormonal and receptor change that makes the uterus more responsive to oxytocin.