Re the post from Ratna -- who is very nice to correspond with by email and
taking my suggestions as helpful, not criticism . . . .

>I am a doctoral student in the Dept. Nutrition and Food Science,
> University of Maryland. We are investigation the role of leptin and
> prolactin on energy expenditure during lactation.
> age 20-40 years
> plan to exclusively breast feed for atleast 4 months
> at least one previous successful lactation

> Study protocol :

> Three visits at USDA, Beltsville : one month after delivery, 4 months
> after delivery and 2 weeks post weaning.


To clarify, from her posts to me -- the study is only to last for 18 months,
and "post weaning" means two weeks after cessation of all breastfeeding.

She writes:

"After your comments I have changed "2 weeks post weaning" to "2 weeks
after cessation of breast feeding". That is when I need the third
measurement as prolactin levels come down to baseline."

I have already written to explain to her that prolactin levels "come down to
baseline" well before weaning in most women, and referred her to Dr. Peter
Ellison at Harvard.  Does anyone have good suggestions for references to
explain the endocrine/autocrine switch of breast milk production?  Is that
Peter Hartmann's work?

Kathy D.

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