Low milk production is the main reason for premature weaning. There are many reasons for low milk production, and we don’t know what % of cases are due to primary low milk production, or the inability of the breasts to produce sufficient milk. Primary low milk production can be due to breast hypoplasia, a history of breast surgery, breast radiation, medications during and/or immediately postpartum, or other health issues such as endocrine pathology.
Breast hypoplasia is a condition where there is low glandular tissue development during pregnancy. Symptoms typically include little breast growth in pregnancy, and low milk production despite frequent and thorough milk removal. Breast anatomic changes are often associated with low glandular tissue, but some people have normal appearing breasts despite having symptoms of low glandular tissue.
The authors for this week investigated the relationship between breast anatomical variations and self-reported low milk production.
The authors evaluated online survey results among 487 participants from several listservs that support people with low milk production. The survey was an extensive questionnaire including questions about anatomic breast characteristics suggestive of low glandular tissue including breast asymmetry, a wide intermammary length (>3.8 cm), stretch marks on the breasts, little/no breast growth during pregnancy, and lack of breast fullness in the first week postpartum.
Most participants were from the USA, with approximately 23% from Australia and 8.8% from the UK, and most were highly educated.
The researchers found that women who described being overweight between ages 8 and 20 were more likely to report signs of breast hypoplasia, including widely spaced breasts and lack of growth during pregnancy, as compared to those who had typical breasts.
This association remained even after adjusting for pre-pregnancy BMI status.