Okay, I got this started, and I finally found the article I had in mind when I asked the question! It was in a New York Times article and the date is cut off, but it quotes several research studies. The title of the article is "Mother's Milk Found to Be Potent Cocktail of Hormones." It says "reporting today in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Yitzhak Koch and his colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot Israel, have found that a gene in charge of producing an important brain hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, is switched on in the mammary glands of nursing rats, but not in the breast tissue of virgin rats. The discovery is the first detection of a neural hormone being synthesized in the breast gland proper, rather than starting out in the mother's brain or some other part of the body and ending up in the milk." It states that scientists think that this applies to humans and that GnRh exists in human milk in concentrations far exceeding the levels seen in the mother's blood, suggesting the breasts generate the hormone. It says that researchers aren't sure but think that the hormone forestalls the maturation of sex organs until the offspring is ready for reproduction. It could also assist in the wiring of the brain regions in command of sexual behavior.
In studying the effects of GnRH on the physiology of newborn rats, Dr. Sergio R. Ojeda, head of the neuroscience division at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center and his co-workers have learned that the hormone suppresses the premature development of the reproductive organs of females. Once ingested, the hormone fills in little docking sites studding a young rat's ovaries and keeps them from responding to competing signals in the body that might otherwise urge rapid maturation. Dr. Ojeda stated that he couldn't say for sure that it's the same in humans but that the need for such hormonal subduing could be even greater due to the estrogen soar from the placenta shortly before birth. If so, the lack of breast milk could result in the premature development of the ovaries. It states that the drop in the age of first menstruation in developed nations has been attributed to the high-calorie, high-nutrient diets but "the new studies suggest that bottle feeding might also contribute to the early onset of menstruation."
It ends by telling that in Sweden it is considered unethical not to breastfeed and there are milk banks for those who can't nurse, just as there are blood banks. (I love this quote:) "And the comparison is apt, for both are rivers of life whose depths scientists have yet to fathom."
Lucy Towbin, MSW, LCSW, IBCLC
Social Worker and Lactation Consultant
501-280-3347
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Subject: LACTNET Digest - 4 Sep 2006 (#2006-998)
There are 2 messages totalling 59 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. breastfeeding and the onset of early puberty
2. Age of Menarche...slightly OT
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Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 18:56:13 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: breastfeeding and the onset of early puberty
I worked as the health education supervisor for a public health center in eastern NC for 3 years. One aspect of my job was teaching puberty classes to 5th grade students. Consistently during that time, about 50% of white girls had already started their periods, and about 75% of African American students had started. This was in the spring of 5th grade so the students would have been at least 10.5 yrs old. I felt the curriculum was outdated and too late but the powers to be in North Carolina had decided this class was appropriate at this grade level. I had students write questions that I may or may not have been able to answer within the boundaries of what my job was. Based on the questions asked, I would say 3-4 girls in each class was already sexually active.
The NC Center for Health Statistics report that in 2005, one 10 yr old, one 11 yr old, five 12 yr olds, and thirty six 13 yr olds gave birth in our state. In my experience, I have seen girls as young as 7 already having a period, and public health clinics are seeing pregnancies at 12 years of age. I have seen an 8 yr old, 3rd grader who was pregnant. I guess study results would vary among different populations.
Barbara Whitehead, BS, IBCLC, RLC
eastern NC
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Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 22:01:18 -0500
From: Rebecca DeYoung Daniels <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Age of Menarche...slightly OT
This doesn't relate to breastfeeding, per se, but the topic of menarche which may or may not be influenced by breastfeeding. My oldest (barely 12) daughter is a pre-professional ballerina and the thinner young women she dances with do not usually get their menses until they have enough body fat, regardless of weight or height. While the concerns of very early menarche are valid, I have concerns about these young women (some are anorexic and some are merely very, very thin) who do not get their periods until their latter teens *or* experience extended amenorrhea while in their teens. I am assuming from studies of amenorrheic athletes (dancers included) that their bone densities are abysmal. I provide educational seminars for the ballet students and bone health is an important topic...and I always work breastfeeding their children into the discussion!
I also find it interesting that some young girls have quite a bit of discomfort, even pain, as their breast buds "appear"...that very early stage of development. My oldest daughter was in such pain that it reminded me of how I feel during most of pregnancy, so this whole topic of physical maturation raises the question about the role of genetics being (possibly) stronger than external factors, even breastfeeding. Any thoughts or good articles to share?
Rambling away without much focus but a lot of fascination,
Rebecca DeYoung Daniels, MBA, RD, LD, IBCLC, RLC & MOM to 5 in KS
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End of LACTNET Digest - 4 Sep 2006 (#2006-998)
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