Shannon Denney writes that her own milk production was copious and she is
Rubenesque.  Rubens painted women with a body fat distribution very
different from the stereotypical PCOS body - voluptuous thighs and heavy
legs, and a center of gravity below the belt.  Women with PCOs are often
more barrel-shaped, with slimmer legs than upper bodies.  Women whose upper
bodies are fatter than their lower bodies are more at risk for diabetes than
are Rubenesque women.  PCOS is associated with diabetes type II as well.
Overweight can mean many things, and have many causes and confounding
factors.  Maybe some large women feel more self-conscious about
breastfeeding and so they spend less time doing it, with resultant lowered
production.
I am not in the habit of predicting doom and gloom for women just starting
breastfeeding.  I assume every woman with breasts will produce milk after
pregnancy until otherwise proven.  I let everyone know that I trust the
process of lactation with all my heart, and I keep my worries and doubts to
myself while watching what happens.  In cases of insufficient milk when
everything at our disposal has been tried, I might find it useful to mention
things like PCOS, overweight, insufficient gland tissue if mother is really
searching for an explanation for why lactation failed previously, but it
just feels all wrong to start undermining mothers' confidence before we know
what will happen.  The study recently cited on LN was discussed here when it
first was published some months ago.  We all know plenty of generously
proportioned, well-padded mothers whose breastfeeding course was perfectly
normal.  Be careful how you use the results of this one study, because there
are enough hurdles for new mothers to jump as it is.
"It's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future."  -- my DH
Rachel Myr
too short to feel Rubenesque, but working on it, in Kristiansand, Norway

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