Oxytocin and the Impact of Medical Interventions During Birth

Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg is a physician and professor of physiology known for her research on the healing effects of oxytocin. Her work focuses on improving women’s health by deepening the understanding of female physiology and developing oxytocin-based medical approaches.

Her interest in women’s biology began after becoming a mother. She left a successful career in gastrointestinal physiology to study oxytocin and its health-promoting effects.

Her research showed that oxytocin can reduce pain and anxiety, lower blood pressure, and decrease stress hormones. She also demonstrated improved wound healing and rejuvenation of mucosal tissues, which contributed to clinical research and patents targeting menopausal symptoms.

Her ideas—especially regarding sex-specific physiology and the broad role of oxytocin—were initially controversial but later gained recognition. She has been a pioneer in exploring oxytocin’s role in bonding, touch, and relationships, including parent-child interaction.

With over 400 scientific publications and several books translated into multiple languages, she continues to lecture internationally and contribute to research on oxytocin in areas such as pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and menopause.