Hi Debbie,

 

What I'm missing is the link between breastfeeding and progesterone - how do
high levels of prolactin and oxytocin result in low levels of progesterone?

 

Is it the lowered progesterone that contributes to impaired luteal
functioning?  Or is it the high levels of nursing hormones?

 

I imagine that some women just have lower progesterone levels regardless of
whether they are breastfeeding or not.  Does a mother's progesterone
production (glad I didn't have to say that out loud) decrease with age?

 

Ingrid

 

From: debbie farb [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2013 5:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Breastfeeding often causes lowered progesterone levels

 

Hi Ingrid,

I agree with Flower in thinking that for some moms (I think myself
included), nursing leads to low progesterone even after normal menstrual
cycles resume. 

(" In a minority of women who are
menstruating, breastfeeding continues to hold back luteal functioning for
one or more cycles, creating a temporary breastfeeding-induced 'luteal phase
defect'")

So if you go with that theory, imagine a nursing mom with normal menstrual
cycles and borderline low progesterone. She may have multiple cycles where
she conceives, but the fertilized egg cannot implant due to low
progesterone. Then imagine an egg does implant at some point, and she has a
clinically recognizable pregnancy. But her progesterone is still borderline
low or low.

The placenta doesn't completely take over producing progesterone en lieu of
the corpus luteum until around 10 weeks gestation. So in theory, the mom
with borderline low progesterone could miscarry in those first 10 weeks due
to nursing, since nursing led to the low progesterone.

What do you think?

Debbie Farb, RN, BSN, MPH, IBCLC


             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome