Brooke,

I would ask what other herbs this woman might be taking.  I would also want to
know the exact dose of ginkgo she is taking, and how long she has been taking
it - what are her reasons for using ginkgo?.  Enquiries into her diet, coffee
and tea use would be helpful ( ethnobotanists do list coffee and tea as
lactogogues!).

Considering that she is planning to adopt, does she have fertility
difficulties?  What documentation of current hormone levels can she provide.
High prolactin levels associated with luteal phase insufficiency often occur
with infertility, and occult ( needing to be expressed to be seen)
galactorrhea has sometimes been noted with these women.

Does she know for sure that she was previously not able to express milk at any
time during her menstrual cycle?  Questions about previous menstrual-related
difficulties may be of help in shedding light on the situation as well.

As to gingko itself, Leong and Foster ( see previous post) discuss reports of
it's "positive effect on increasing vasodilation and peripheral blood flow
rate in capillary vessels" in a variety of circulatory disorders ( Reynaud's,
varicosities, as well as already noted cerebral insufficiencies).  Have
previously wondered what effect modern concentrated ginkgo products would have
on mammary blood flow volumes?  Anyone care to speculate here??

Gather that this woman is planning to induce lactation with adoption - it
would seem that for whatever reason, she's "got milk"!

Sheila Humprey BSc(Botany) RN IBCLC
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