I think that we can use common sense with some of these, others not so easy! 1. Is a woman who is adoptive nursing and has not been pregnant (or not pregnant with each nursing situation) as protected from reproductive cancers as a woman who has been pregnant and lactated each time? Pregnancy itself confers some protection for breast cancer for instance but lactation adds to the reduction in risk. There is no reason I can think of to expect that this would be any different in cases of lactation. 2. It is dangerous to "mess with the system" by inducing lactation without having been pregnant? Absolutely not! Relactation/induced lactation is as natural as lactation after pregnancy. Sometimes drugs are used to assist with relactation/induced lactation and there may be risks associated with their use but that is a different question. 3. Does an adoptive nursing mother show the same calcium gains after weaning as a bio-nursing mother? No idea. Never been researched. I wonder what is known of the mechanism for the bone density bounce back after lactation...does anyone know?? 4. Does pregnancy "store up" essential fatty-acids? (The mother asks this question because she has nursed bio-children AND adoptive children, and only in the adoptive nursing situations does she experience an itchy-skin rash that is only cleared up by supplementing with EFA's). No idea Karleen Gribble Australia *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html