Labor and delivery is one of the more dangerous normal physiological functions that humans perform. How does this danger relate to the concept of feedback loops?
The negative feedback loop of oxytocin release may have the effect of stalling labor.
Reducing pressure on the cervix when the baby is born breaks the positive feedback cycle. If the pressure on the cervix cannot be decreased, the positive feedback loop will continue indefinitely.
Labor and delivery is an example of a negative feedback loop. Negative feedback loops are inherently more dangerous, because lowering any physiological parameter too far may be irreversible.
Labor and delivery can be dangerous because due to physiological variation some people experience it as negative feedback while some experience it as positive feedback.
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