I'm doing some exploration of iron levels in mothers. I'm trying to understand the Australian Red Cross policy which does not allow breastfeeding mother to donate but does allow non-lactating mothers to donate provided they are 9 months post-partum. The reason given is that breastmilk contains "lots" of iron. However, I suspect that non-lactating mothers could in fact be at greater risk of low iron levels because of the premature return of menses. A search turned up an article by Ted Greiner suggesting that this is the case and with some numbers. However, I have not been able to locate research that has actually looked at iron levels in lactating and non-lactating postpartum women. Can anyone help me out?
Karleen Gribble
Australia
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome