Unsolved Mysteries of the Human Mammary Gland: Defining and Redefining the Critical Questions from the Lactation Consultant’s Perspective

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy include chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia and chronic hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia complicates about 3% of pregnancies, and all hypertensive disorders affect about five to 10% of pregnancies. Secular increases in chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia have occurred as a result of changes in maternal characteristics (such as maternal age and pre-pregnancy weight), whereas declines in eclampsia have followed widespread antenatal care and use of prophylactic treatments (such as magnesium sulphate). Determinants of pre-eclampsia rates include a bewildering array of risk and protective factors, including familial factors, sperm exposure, maternal smoking, pre-existing medical conditions (such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus and anti-phospholipid syndrome), and miscellaneous ones such as plurality, older maternal age and obesity. Hypertensive disorders are associated with higher rates of maternal, fetal and infant mortality, and severe morbidity, especially in cases of severe pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets syndrome. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

To describe the prevalence and factors associated with not meeting desired breastfeeding duration. Data were analyzed from 1177 mothers aged ≥18 years who responded to monthly surveys from pregnancy until their child was 1 year old. When breastfeeding stopped, mothers were asked whether they breastfed as long as they wanted (yes or no) and to rate the importance of 32 reasons for stopping on a 4-point Likert scale. Multiple logistic regressions were used to examine the association between the importance of each reason and the likelihood of mothers not meeting their desired breastfeeding duration. Approximately 60% of mothers who stopped breastfeeding did so earlier than desired. Early termination was positively associated with mothers' concerns regarding: (1) difficulties with lactation; (2) infant nutrition and weight; (3) illness or need to take medicine; and (4) the effort associated with pumping milk. Our findings indicate that the major reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding before they desire include concerns about maternal or child health (infant nutrition, maternal illness or the need for medicine, and infant illness) and processes associated with breastfeeding (lactation and milk-pumping problems). Continued professional support may be necessary to address these challenges and help mothers meet their desired breastfeeding duration.

The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition characterized by hyperandrogenism and chronic oligo-anovulation. However, many features of the metabolic syndrome are inconsistently present in the majority of women with PCOS. Approximately 50% of PCOS women are overweight or obese and most of them have the abdominal phenotype. Obesity may play a pathogenetic role in the development of the syndrome in susceptible individuals. In fact, insulin possesses true gonadotrophic function and an increased insulin availability at the level of ovarian tissue may favour excess androgen synthesis. Obesity, particularly the abdominal phenotype, may be partly responsible for insulin resistance and associated hyperinsulinemia in women with PCOS. Therefore, obesity-related hyperinsulinemia may play a key role in favouring hyperandrogenism in these women. Other factors such as increased estrogen production rate, increased activity of the opioid system and of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, decreased sex hormone binding globulin synthesis and, possibly, high dietary lipid intake, may be additional mechanisms by which obesity favours the development of hyperandrogenism in PCOS. Irrespective of the pathogenetic mechanism involved, obese PCOS women have more severe hyperandrogenism and related clinical features (such as hirsutism, menstrual abnormalities and anovulation) than normal-weight PCOS women. This picture tends to be more pronounced in obese PCOS women with the abdominal phenotype. Body weight loss is associated with beneficial effects on hormones, metabolism and clinical features. A further clinical and endocrinological improvement can also be achieved by adding insulin-sensitizing agents and/or antiandrogens to weight reduction programmes. These obviously emphasize the role of obesity in the pathophysiology of PCOS.