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

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
Mail all commands to [log in to unmask]
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask])
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]