Oxytocin, the "cuddle hormone" that's known for its involvement in bonding, may also play a role in putting early pregnancies on pause, a study of lab animals finds.
New research in mice shows that the hormone can put embryos in the earliest stages of development into a kind of hibernation state. Once triggered, this process, called "diapause," might allow a mouse mother to delay a pregnancy at a time when resources are scarce — such as while she is still nursing a previous litter of newborn mouse pups.
