Hi all,,
It took me some time to react, because I did some research on this subject and
want to share it.
The weekend after we got the article "Markers of Lactation Insufficiency:  A
Study of 34 Mothers"; Kathleen Huggins, RN, MS, CLC; Ellen S. Petok, BS, IBCLC;
Olga Mireles, RNC, CLC; From Current Issues in Clinical Lactation 2000, pp.
25-35; I attended a LLLleaders and leader applicants training weekend and I
thought that that would be an ideal control group to detect stretchmarks in
lactating women. I did a small ad hoc study on this sample of ''proven
successfull'' breastfeeding women. I found no correlation between the presence
of stretchmarks and the sufficienty of milk production. I'll publish the
findings in the Dutch LC's journal, but will share a translated abstract with
you all.

Gonneke van Veldhuizen, IBCLC, Maaseik, Belgium
http://www.users.skynet.be/eurolac
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Stretchmarks on breasts and lactation failure: are they correlated?
CGA van Veldhuizen-Staas, IBCLC; Feb 2000.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To describe the incidence of stretchmarks at the breasts in correlation
with milkproduction in a homogenic group of woman who all successfully
exclusively breastfed at least one child.
Sample population: 46 women volunteered out of a group of 60 LLLleaders and
leader applicants who all exclusive breastfed at least one child succesfully.
All were Kaucasian, middle class.
Method: Retrospective study for which participants filled out a written
questionaire, independent from each other and without interference nor help from
the researcher. Results were simply counted without adjustment for any other
variables.
Data collected: respondents age; # children given birth to; incidence of
stretchmarks, location (inner upper, inner lower, outer lower and outer upper
quadrant, resp. referred to as position 1-4) and severity (little, medium,
severe); age/fase of life when stretchmarkes appeared; age/fase of life when
(if) stretchmarks worsened; age at birthing first and last child; # children
breastfed, including child still breastfeeding; occurrence of low/insufficient
milksupply and if so: was this caused by breastfeeding management.
Outcomes: 26 (56,52%) of respondents had no stretch marks and 20 (43,47%) had
stretch marks. 4 women (8,69%) reported one incidence of insufficient milksupply
(2 in both groups; 7,69% of women without and 10% of women with stratchmarks),
but all stated that mismanagement caused that and improving management lead to
increased and sufficient production. All 4 had had at least one other fully
successfull lactation experience. 1 in both groups (with/without marks)
reported oversupply, and all others made the amount of milk there children
needed without any trouble.
Only one woman reported unilateral marks (pos. 3L) all others had bilateral and
more or less symmetrical stretch marks. 50% reported medium, and the other half
were equally devided between little and severe. There seems to be no significant
correlation between severity and position, allthough a slight tendency can be
seen towards pos. 3 L+R for little and pos. 1+4 L+R for severe stretch marks.
Women with medium severity report having stretch marks all over the both
breasts.
One very significant piece of data is the onset of stretch marks. One quarter
(25%) of all women with stretchmarks saw them appear during puberty (ca. 14 y),
but more than half (60%) did only get them during the first pregnancy. ''Puberal
marks'' tended to increase during first pregnancy (60%) and 30% of the ''first
pregnancy marks'' increased during a following pregnancy. Only 1 woman noticed
the first stetch marks in the early pp days.
Conclusion: If any, then the conclusion from this data is that stretch marks do
not indicate the possiblity of insufficient milk production, but rather can be
seen as a sign of breast growth at either the onset of breastgland development
or during the preparation of the body to lactate in pregnancy.