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Lactation Information and Discussion

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Subject:
From:
"katherine a. dettwyler" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 29 Aug 1995 20:06:54 -0500
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Karen Christopher asks about "normal" duration of post-partum amenorrhea.
It is very typical for women who are breastfeeding on demand, especially at
night, to experience 1-3 YEARS of amenorrhea.  This is perfectly normal.
Nighttime nursing results in higher prolactin surges, so can continue the
lactational amenorrhea longer than the same amount of daytime amenorrhea.
There is also a connection to how much body fat the mother has, as lower
body fat is correlated with higher prolactin surges in response to
breastfeeding, thus longer amenorrhea.  There is also *huge* variation from
woman to woman in how much prolactin she releases in response to sucking
stimulus, and in how sensitive her body is to prolactin.  When I was a very
well-fed 25 year old, I had 23 months of lactational amenorrhea.  My best
friend, also a very well-fed 28 year old, had 36 months of lactational
amenorrhea.  Both of us nursed our children on demand, throughout the night,
and the children didn't use pacifiers or suck their thumbs.  In my study of
153 women in Mali, the *average* duration of post-partum amenorrhea was 18
months, with many women having 2-3 years of amenorrhea.  So, not to worry!

Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Texas A&M University
e-mail to [log in to unmask]

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