Consumption of estrogen by nursing mothers may reduce breast milk quality.
The hormone estrogen is approved for use by nursing mothers as a contraceptive or other conditions. However, there are potential side effects of using estrogen while nursing. Estrogen consumption tends to diminish breast milk quantity and quality. Side effects of estrogen on the nursing baby are not well known but may include problems with liver functioning in very young babies and fussiness during feeding.
Quantity of Breast Milk
The vast majority of mothers who consume estrogen during breast feeding experience lower milk supply than usual. For some mothers the decline is minimal, but for others the reduction can be drastic.
Quality of Breast Milk
Consumption of estrogen is also associated with breast milk of lesser quality. In particular, estrogen consumption is associated with a decrease in the protein content, nitrogen content, and lactose content of breast milk. The diminished quality of the milk may result in the baby being more fussy during feeding, and anecdotal evidence suggests that babies become less fussy once hormonal therapy is discontinued.
Effects on Baby
There is little solid evidence that consumption of estrogen by mother has significant side effects on the nursing baby. However there are certain side effects that are under continuing review but do not yet have conclusive support. Among babies under 6 weeks old, it is possible that estrogen in the breast milk may result in liver problems, as the hepatic system may not be well-developed enough to effectively process hormones in the milk. There is also some evidence that consumption of estrogens by infants may result in diminished intestinal cell proliferation; however, this reduction does not appear to affect intestinal enzyme activity, and the consumption of estrogen compounds may actually reduce the prevalence of intestinal rotavirus infections.
Anecdotal evidence from mothers suggests that estrogen consumption may result in babies being more fussy while nursing, although clinical trials have not been conducted to test this claim.
Tags: breast milk, side effects, associated with, being more, being more fussy
