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Areolar glands, especially during pregnancy and lactation, emit odors that reliably cause newborn babies to face the breast and locate the nipple. Cleaning the breast or otherwise masking these scents makes it harder for newborns to find the nipple, and to get an important first drink of immunoprotective colostrum .
Hyperprolactinemia, characterized by abnormally high levels of prolactin, may cause galactorrhea (production and spontaneous flow of breast milk), infertility, and menstrual disruptions in women. In men, it can lead to hypogonadism, infertility and erectile dysfunction. Prolactin is crucial for milk production during pregnancy and lactation.
Illustration of fundal height at various points during pregnancy. Some degree of weight gain is expected during pregnancy. The enlarging uterus, growing fetus, placenta, amniotic fluid, normal increase in body fat, and increase in water retention all contribute weight gain during pregnancy. The amount of weight gain can vary from 5 pounds (2.3 ...
Prolactin has a wide variety of effects. It stimulates the mammary glands to produce milk (): increased serum concentrations of prolactin during pregnancy cause enlargement of the mammary glands and prepare for milk production, which normally starts when levels of progesterone fall by the end of pregnancy and a suckling stimulus is present.
Galactorrhea (also spelled galactorrhoea) (galacto-+ -rrhea) or lactorrhea (lacto-+ -rrhea) is the spontaneous flow of milk from the breast, unassociated with childbirth or nursing. Galactorrhea is reported to occur in 5–32% of females. Much of the difference in reported incidence can be attributed to different definitions of galactorrhea. [1]
Breast engorgement occurs in the mammary glands due to expansion and pressure exerted by the synthesis and storage of breast milk. It is also a main factor in altering the ability of the infant to latch-on. Engorgement changes the shape and curvature of the nipple region by making the breast inflexible, flat, hard, and swollen.
Witch's milk occurs in newborns and is typically due to maternal hormones that cross the placenta during pregnancy. These hormones can stimulate the infant's mammary glands to produce milk, a condition that is relatively common, affecting about 5% of newborns. [32]
The breasts change during pregnancy to prepare for lactation, and more changes occur immediately after the birth. Progesterone is the hormone that influences the growth of breast tissue before the birth. Afterwards, the endocrine system shifts from producing hormones that prevent lactation to ones that trigger milk production. [3]