Glossary

Term · Getting Ready for Birth

catecholamine

Also: adrenaline, epinephrine, noradrenaline, stress hormones

A family of stress hormones, including adrenaline, that the body releases in response to pain, fear, and effort. They can affect how labor progresses.

In plain words

Catecholamines are a family of hormones and chemical messengers. They include adrenaline, also called epinephrine, and noradrenaline. The body releases them in a fight-or-flight response, when it senses pain, fear, or danger. During labor they rise with pain and stress. They can also raise heart rate and blood pressure. Some researchers describe their effect on labor as one reason a calm, supported birth may progress more smoothly. Support from a partner or is often described in these terms, with a focus on comfort and reassurance. The link between stress hormones and labor progress is still studied and debated. Catecholamines are a normal part of the body's function, not a sign that something is wrong.

The deeper version

Catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine) are sympathoadrenal mediators that rise with pain, anxiety, and exertion. Maternal plasma catecholamines increase across labor, and some studies report higher levels in women who describe more pain or fear. Catecholamine activity has been proposed as one pathway by which fear and stress interfere with uterine contractility and slow progress. Epinephrine and norepinephrine also influence uteroplacental blood flow, which is one reason their levels matter clinically. Evidence linking supportive care to lower catecholamine levels and shorter labor is observational and mixed. Catecholamine levels are not routinely measured in practice, and their role in labor management remains a research question.

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Sources

  • Lowe NK — The nature of labor pain. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2002
  • Cunningham FG and colleagues — Williams Obstetrics, 26th edition, 2022

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