AthenaSurrenders -> RE: breast milking (2/4/2014 1:41:11 AM)
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ORIGINAL: PeonForHer FR It's not *entirely* germane to the subject at hand, I freely admit, but I've heard that if a chap regularly pumps one of his nipples, that nipple will eventually lactate. Is there a medically-trained person in the house who can confirm/refute this? Alright I'm not medically trained, but since no one else is tackling this I will tell you it as I understand it. No citations for this, though you could probably find some studies if you really wanted to know. I found this study but I'm not about to spend $40 on the full text, so just linking in case anyone is desperately curious. Up until a certain stage of fetal development, males and females are essentially the same. There is the potential for breast tissue to develop in males, and indeed it does happen to some boys during puberty and/or as a result of various medications which mess with the hormones. In order to lactate, you need a hormone called prolactin. Even males have some prolactin in their bodies in low levels, but not generally enough to trigger lactation. High levels of prolactin are related to low levels of testosterone and can be caused by liver damage (the liver being unable to filter out excess levels of hormones such as oestrogen), pituitary tumours and some medications, as well as the aforementioned puberty issue some unlucky boys get. Stimulating the nipple can increase prolactin. It's one of a number of factors in keeping a milk supply in breastfeeding women - constant reminders to the body that it is still needed. In most cases though, even with the stimulation, men won't be able to lactate without one of the other factors causing overall hormonal imbalances. Their breast tissue needs a big boost of hormones for development which women get during puberty and again during pregnancy, so men are at a huge disadvantage. If you were able to induce lactation just by nipple stimulation, it might be something to see a doctor about, since high levels of prolactin can cause loss of sexual function. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-male-lactation.htm not backed with references but these articles are a good starting point.
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