I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom (PCOS). It’s one of the reasons I’m fat, and had some problems with fertility, and may even explain why I’m a moody sooky-la-la some of the time. Maybe!
I’ve known this for years. But what I didn’t know until recently is that it may also be one of the reasons my daughter had slow weight gains as an infant and possibly even contributed to her early weaning. My obstetrician, GP, and midwives knew that I have PCOS. But none of them actually knew (or at least, mentioned) that this very common condition can have an impact on lactation. A little bit of forearming might have gone a long way, but like much research into breastfeeding, this element is something many professionals are ignorant of.
Anyway – no point in crying over spilt milk (sorry). But for those of you with an interest in lactation or who have PCOS, here’s some worthwhile linkage.
Kellymom – always a great evidenced-based site for breastfeeding information. There’s not a lot on the actual site but it’s a starting point for some useful links, particularly Dr Hale’s article on the drug Metformin.
Breastfeeding with PCOS blog - a useful resource which includes personal stories about battling undersupply caused by PCOS.
The blog ‘got pcos’ has some useful tips and information. This post gives a clear explanation of the link between PCOS and insufficient glandular tissue.
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Hi, I am creating a blog that is specifically about nursing and pcos. If you have a blog post already written, I’d love to share it for other mothers to learn from it. Or if you’d like to write one for the blog, that would be wonderful too. It doesn’t matter if you nursed or not, if pcos impacted your nursing in any way, it will help others.
http://breastfeedingwithpcos.blogspot.com/
Thanks… I haven’t written much about my personal breastfeeding experiences actually but if I do finally get around to it I would be happy to share.