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Can a female lactate without having had a child?

I do not understand how my friend could be lactating.

asked by jdanielbelch (9)

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Tags:  breastfeeding  reproductive health

answers

Yes they can. If the milk glands are stimulated repeatedly with pumping or nursing a baby, it is possible to "trick" the body into lactating. Also, taking certain hormones can stimulate milk production.

reply
posted by txgirl (61)
7 votes

It is completely possible for someone to lactate without even having a child. In fact, it is even possible for men to lactate (there were cases of this happening in the UK). Basically, with enough nipple stimulation, the breast will begin to produce milk. This can also be a result of hormones.

7 votes

There are various herbs and pharmaseuticals that can be ingested in order to allow a female to lactate without giving birth. Although the hormones associated with pregnancy and childbirth encourage the female body to prepare for lactation, other substances such as Fenugreek, milk thistle, Reglan and Domperidone help imitate that process.

reply
posted by Rachel30 (5)
4 votes

A mother can lactate without giving birth by contacting the La Leche League. Sometimes a mother might make the mistake of bottle-feeding at first. Or a mother may be an adoptive mother. Whichever, La Leche will give the new mother the right tools for doing right by her baby.

4 votes

The body's overproduction of the hormone prolactin can produce lactation. There is also a medication sometimes offered to adoptive mothers that produces lactation. It is often combined with frequent pumping of the breasts to stimulate milk production.

4 votes

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