My name is Anna Roberts and I am a nursing student at Ivy Tech CC in
Indiana. My question for you is in regards to PCOS and low supply.
In researching the PCOS/low supply connection I found this
information “About one in ten women of childbearing age has PCOS. It can
occur in girls as young as 11 years old. PCOS is the most common cause of
female infertility (not being able to get pregnant).” Also “Polycystic ovary
syndrome is a health problem that can affect a woman's menstrual cycle,
ability to have children, hormones, heart, blood vessels, and appearance. With
PCOS, women typically have high levels of androgens, missed or irregular
periods, many small cysts in their ovaries. “(1)
In fact, less than twenty-five percent of women with PCOS have
actually been diagnosed. Most women do not get a diagnosis until they begin
trying to get pregnant. Some of the symptoms of PCOS may be overlooked
until a woman starts trying to conceive a baby. (2)
It seems with all the information available regarding the hormonal
havoc that PCOS plays on your body; it would be a logical step to think PCOS
may interfere with breastfeeding. I was able to find some research on the
topic but most quoted Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC. She seems to be the leading
expert on the matter. Most other information was anecdotal.
Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC, is a lactation consultant in Santa Maria,
Calif. She has studied the impact of PCOS on breastfeeding and first
suspected the connection after seeing two patients within a week show up
with low milk supply and similar symptoms. "I looked at their history and found
out they both had infertility issues and a diagnosis of PCOS," she says.
Building on her interest in low milk supply, Marasco decided to investigate the
PCOS connection more thoroughly (3)
One theory is that a progesterone deficiency, common in women
with PCOS, is to blame for a lessened milk supply. Another theory relates to
the influence of higher androgens, also common with PCOS, which can work
against the needed effects of estrogen and prolactin. Still another holds that
high levels of circulating estrogen could disrupt lactation. There is also some
concern about the role of insulin in lactation, as it is known that women with
uncontrolled diabetes do not produce enough milk. (4)
When you have clients that present with suspected supply issues or
slow to gain babies, do you recommend a PCOS/ hormone work up after other
more common BF’ing issues have been addressed?
Among the breastfeeding community have you seen an increase in suspected
PCOS/low supply? How do you address this issue (suggested treatment) when
you feel it is the cause of the problem?
1. http://www.4women.gov/faq/pcos.htm
2. http://www.justmommies.com/articles/pcos-and-infertility.shtml
3. http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/pcos.html
4. http://www.fertilitycommunity.com/fertility/is-there-a-connection-between-
pcos-breastfeeding-difficulty.html
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