Prolactin: Alcohol is Harmful to a Nursing Baby

Protect your child’s future

· Hormone produced and secreted into the bloodstream by the anterior pituitary gland. Aids other hormones in the development and growth of the mammary glands. This hormone also supports lactation and breast-feeding.

· Acute and chronic exposure to alcohol leads to a stimulation of prolactin release.

· High prolactin levels are associated with reproductive deficits in both males and females.

· High prolactin levels can cause impotence in male and disruption of normal ovulatory cycles in females

· Elevated prolactin is not only reason for these problems

· Suckling of infants induces prolactin release, even though alcohol normally stimulates an increase in prolactin, the suckling effect is actually reduced in alcohol ingesting women causing problems when breast feeding and ultimately causing problems to the infant’s health.

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