Prolactin serum

[AlpineMama]

I've recently found out that the reason I was unable to produce more than a few drops of milk at a time, and the reason I got my period back two weeks to the day of giving birth, was a possible low prolactin serum. My midwife said she would like to test me after birthing this time. I tried relactating for a month after DS refused the breast, but no amount of pumping, oatmeal, fenugreek, etc helped at all. I've tried researching this but I mostly find women who are a) making too MUCH serum and thus lactating when they're not trying to BF or b) women who are unable to conceive because of low levels. I have been uber-fertile fortunately/unfortunately, so that's not a problem. I'm not sure what to do. I'm scared of hormonal treatments but is there ANYTHING I can *naturally* do to increase these levels? Or might there be some other problem? My babe is due soon and I really want a BF relationship with him/her. But so far this is freaking me out that I won't be able to make milk again. FWIW my breasts are ABLE to make milk - I got engorged for one day and leaked some colustrum before that, but that was it. Afterwards it was all gone.

[MarcyC]

I also have low prolactin levels, but am able to conceive just by shaking hands with DH....

Domperidone does help, but is somewhat expensive. There are lactogenic foods - leafy greens, oatmeal, malted barley, almonds - just to name a few. There are also other herbs that are good for breastmilk production.

Unfortunately, since you have low prolactin levels you may never be able to fully produce everything your baby needs. Look into supplementing with an SNS or Lact-Aid (this was my experience).

I honestly haven't looked into hormone therapy. I can't give you any answers about that. Just know you are not alone.

[CathMac]

I can't think of any galactagogues associated with Prolactin. There may be some but I associate most of the ones I know with Oxytocin. Of course it probably can't hurt to boost your Oxytocin levels but it would probably be more effective if you could target the root problem.

Whatever your levels are they are probably higher at night so I would really encourage co-sleeping and possibly even waking baby up more often than another mother might to take advantage of that.

You might also try searching the term "prolactin" at kellymom and see if that directs you to a specific galactagogue. Or I would try emailing Dr. Jack Newman.

Good luck,
~Cath

[khanni]

I'm very interested in this Prolactin Serum you are discussing. With my first baby, I never produced enough milk. I tried everything under the sun that you could possibly think of (other than prolactin serum, apparently). When I went to an OB to have bloodwork done, she just tested my thyroid. I asked her about testing prolactin, but she said they could find out they were low, but then there would be nothing to do about it, so what was the point. I was totally heartbroken to not be able to feed my daughter entirely, though I continued to breastfeed (she was still mostly formula fed) until she weaned herself at 7 months. I am pregnant with #2 due mid-March and am going to try again and am open to any new information.

[MarcyC]

I think the OP is saying she has low prolactin serum which is the same as saying you have low prolactin levels.

If there were some magic prolactin serum we could all take I think there'd be a long line and they could charge whatever they wanted...LOL!!!

[BirthIsAwesome]

Fenugreek is the only Galactogogue I've heard of that is Prolactic rather than Oxytocic in nature. The recommended dosage is 7-14 capsules of dried fenugreek powder per day. How much were you taking? I second the suggestion to search kellymom.com for "prolactin". Also, like PP said, try to breastfeed/pump at night more than you do in the daytime. By the way, prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland, so any herbs that nourish the Endocrine system would probably be helpful. I'm off to look in my herb manuals for herbs treating an underactive pituitary gland! I'll post again if I find any useful information.

[khanni]

Tried it all. Thanks though.

[CathMac]

Originally Posted by BirthIsAwesome

... The recommended dosage is 7-14 capsules of dried fenugreek powder per day. How much were you taking? ...

Originally Posted by khanni

Tried it all. Thanks though.

Khanni,
Did you ever reach the point where you actually smelled like maple syrup? If not, you probably had a weak formulation &/or you could have tried increasing the dosage. I'm including the Kellymom info below. Some women have reportedly taken even more than what the maximum Kellymom dosage would be with no apparent ill effect. You might need to try experimenting with slowly increasing the dosage. See article below.

Also, I found two other Kellymom articles that seem to suggest that lots of small feedings, comfort nursing, & nipple stimulation might help. See articles below.

Finally, I include the Kellymom articles on prescription options if you are willing to consider those.

Kellymom - Fenugreek
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milks...ek.html#dosage
Dosages of less than 6 capsules/day (approx 3500 mg/day) produce no effect in many women. One way to determine if you're taking the correct dosage is to slowly increase the amount of fenugreek until your sweat and urine begin to smell like maple syrup.
Suggested dosage: capsules (580-610 mg),
•2-4 capsules, 3 times per day
•6-12 capsules (total) per day
•~1200-2400 mg, 3 times per day (3.5-7.3 grams/day)
German Commission E recommends a daily intake of 6 grams

Kellymom - Normal prolactin levels in breastfeeding mothers http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/prolactin-levels.html
Prolactin levels "rise with suckling: the more feedings, the higher the level of serum prolactin. More than eight breastfeedings per 24 hours prevents decline of the concentration of prolactin before the next breastfeeding (Cox, Owens, & Hartmann, 1996; Tay 1996)."

Kellymom - Notes from "Induced Lactation and Adoptive Nursing" http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/adoptivebf.html
Prolactin levels rise with nipple stimulation during feedings. Baby's sucking (pressure & release pattern) stimulates the brain to release prolactin into mom's bloodstream. Alveolar cells make milk in response to the release of prolactin when baby sucks at breast. Has been referred to as the "mothering" hormone. Together with oxytocin, it may be responsible in part for the intense feeling of needing to be with baby that many mothers experience.

Kellymom - Prescription drugs used for increasing milk supply By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/...actagogue.html

Good luck,
~Cath

[khanni]

Hi,

I definitely smelled like maple syrup all the time. I also took Blessed Thistle, Goat's Rue, and I don't remember what else. I finally decided not to do the prescription drugs because I always seem to have negative reactions to prescription drugs--even those with very little side effects. This time around, I might try them though.

I did some more research, and I think my problem was/is actually insufficient glandular tissue. I saw a picture of a women with breasts with that, and mine look really similar. Also, they tend to try everything and most never establish a full milk supply.

Thanks,
Karin

[khanni]

I also forgot to mention that I did the feedings, woke up every two hours to feed my daughter, did the breastpump, did comfort feedings, everything...

[CathMac]

Originally Posted by khanni

I also forgot to mention that I did the feedings, woke up every two hours to feed my daughter, did the breastpump, did comfort feedings, everything...

khanni,
If that's not "everything" it's pretty darn close.

However, I just came across another thread that reminded me of an herb I heard about recently. I looked it up and it may increase Prolactin levels, perhaps through the same mechanism as Dom.

Low Milk Supply - Shatavari
http://www.lowmilksupply.org/shatavari.shtml
EXCERPT “ … a more recent human study reached the conclusion that it had no real effect (baseline prolactin levels in both groups declined at the same postpartum rate) even though the mothers using shatavari had a greater decrease in necessary supplemental milk for their babies at the end of the study than did mothers who took a placebo.

(However,) (3) Another study using an alcoholic extract of shatavari found that it caused an increase in serum prolactin levels.(4) The mechanism for increasing milk production seems to parallel that of metoclopramide. Shatavari can be purchased in capsule form and is also an ingredient in Lactare, a galactogogue product, which also contains licorice, fenugreek, ashwaganda and other ingredients.”

A couple of more things about Fenugreek, as I mentioned earlier it's pretty clear that if you don't smell like Maple Syrup then you aren't getting an effective dose. I'm not sure that if you do smell like Maple Syrup that automatically means you are getting an effective dose. The Kellymom article I gave you had a table with the recommended dosage ranges but I seem to remember reading a really high maximum dose elsewhere, something like 10 to 12 capsules. Also, what little milk you were producing may have had something to do with the Fenugreek so I wouldn't rule out taking it again this time.

Do you remember how much you were taking?

~Cath

[MaryJaneLouise]

More Milk Plus by Motherlove is a really concentrated form of fenugreek, and worked much better for me than the pills:

http://www.motherlove.com/products_extracts.php

[Tendaironi]

Originally Posted by khanni

Hi,

I definitely smelled like maple syrup all the time. I also took Blessed Thistle, Goat's Rue, and I don't remember what else. I finally decided not to do the prescription drugs because I always seem to have negative reactions to prescription drugs--even those with very little side effects. This time around, I might try them though.

I did some more research, and I think my problem was/is actually insufficient glandular tissue. I saw a picture of a women with breasts with that, and mine look really similar. Also, they tend to try everything and most never establish a full milk supply.

Thanks,
Karin

Perhaps if you just took Goat's rue as it works well at increasing mammary aevoli tissue as well as shatavari.

Galactogogue:
Extract of shatavari has been shown to increase both the weight of mammary lobulo-aveolar tissue and the milk yield. This effect was attributed to the action of released corticosteroids or an increase in prolactin.

[Tendaironi]

In my experience tinctures work better and are much faster in increasing supply than capsules.

www.wishgardenherbs.com has tincture of Goat's rue for $9.99 and www.herb-pharm.com has tincture of shatavari for $11.99. But this time around things might be different for you and you may not need to use anything to increase your supply.

I don't blame you for not wanting to use drugs, they can be awful on a post-partum mom.

[khanni]

I had never heard of Shatavari the last time around. Does anybody know if it's supposed to be safe to take during pregnancy, or do you need to wait until afterward? I'll look it up online as well.

I've read mixed things about Goat's Rue during pregnancy, but it has been contraindicated in some places, so I think I'll have to wait until after I give birth for that.

I agree about the More Milk Plus. Again, I never had a full milk supply, but More Milk Plus I felt did make a big difference as well as the acupuncture. I think pumping, in my case, was useless and the stress of it made it not worth it for me--I'm skipping it this time. My LC agrees.

I also had an SNS I used. I really loved it sometimes, but other times it drove me crazy because my daughter would latch/unlatch all the time, and it's really difficult to get the tube placed in the mouth correctly and a good latch, so it was frustrating sometimes. I definitely plan on using it again and hope this little guy will just like to latch and stay latched. I hear some people like the lact-aid better. Has anybody tried both?

Thanks!
Karin

[khanni]

I found this on an Ayurveda website. The almond milk sounds really tasty...I read somewhere else that Cardamom is supposed to help, also. I never heard that pomegranate juice was supposed to help.

http://ayurveda-foryou.com/women/breastfeeding.html

Useful Tips -

If your breast milk is scanty, try this mixture of almond milk and herbs, soak ten almonds in water overnight. Then peel them, put them in a blender, add a cup of hot milk and puree them. Pour the almond milk into a glass and stir in a pinch each of ginger powder, cardamom and saffron and a teaspoon of date sugar (available in most health food stores) or honey. Drink this twice a day, morning and evening, to help strengthen the quality and quantity of your breast milk.
Women with pitta or kapha doshas drink three to four cups of pomegranate juice (available in most health food stores) daily to regulate lactation. Vata women should avoid pomegranate juice since it can aggravate Vata dosha.
Powder of Asparagus recemosus (Shatavari) should be taken in the dose of 1 GM daily along with milk to maintain the quality of lactation. Shatavari Kalpa is a formulation very useful as ‘ galactagogue ’ for mothers after delivery. Its regular use is very helpful in maintaining quality and quantity of milk.
Other generic preparations of Asparagus recemosus (Shatavari) and Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) such as Shatavari Ghrita, Ashvagandhadi Churna, etc., can also be taken for maintaining the quality as well as quantity of milk.
For the cases of cracked nipple, local application of 'Shatadhouta Ghrita' on the affected nipple is very useful.

[Tendaironi]

New Findings Vindicate Efficacy of Shatavari
(Asparagus racemosus), Traditional Medicine
by Lalit Tiwari

Shatavari: An Ayurvedic Herb for Women

I did see an article about how Shatavari could be used to prevent a miscarriage but I can't seem to find it. I have endometriosis and Shatavari can help with that so I am taking this for life.