Barbara and others,
I found this research especially interesting given my background in
Anthropology.  Recently studying hormonal activity during lactation I
wondered -- Does Dr. (?) Brown have his hormones confused?  Does he mean
prolactin or is it true that progesterone remains present at elevated levels
as well?
I'm also curious as to why they only tested women.

I *thought* I was learning that Prolactin, not progesterone, is responsible
for milk production (in
combination other agents).  And that prolactin remains elevated throughout
lactation.  According to Riordan & Auerbach, Breastfeeding and Human
Lactation, 1997 page 98 "Lactogenesis is triggered following the expulsion
of the placenta by a FALL (emphasis mine) in progesterone and estrogen
levels and the continued presence of prolactin."  on page 100 in the same
edition is a chart showing hormonal activity during pregnancy, during birth,
and postpartum in the breastfeeding mother.  It looks like progesterone
drops sharply after the birth and returns to pre-pregnancy levels a few
weeks postpartum, while prolactin rises sharply immediately prior to birth
(hence colostrum) and steadily declines but remains elevated until weaning.

As the wise women that we are we could probably come up with any number of
reasons that this scent based reaction would be an adaptive response,
especially in a more "connected" culture.  Maybe it just makes everyone like
each other better?

Then again maybe nursing women are just sexy.

Dawn Martin
Austin, TX



----- Original Message -----
Subject: Scent research


> Sometimes I just get real cheered up by interesting research. Thank you
> Kathleen Pasakarnis for sharing about Julie Mennella's new project.  I'm
> sure that much of what we do is driven not by how we think, but by how we
> feel, and how we behave is often driven by powerful senses we don't even
> acknowledge.  How wonderful to have these mysteries revealed.  I love the
> scent of breastfed babies.
>
> Barbara Wilson-Clay BSEd, IBCLC
> Austin Lactation Associates
> http://www.lactnews.com
>

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