Loss of body fat and associated decrease in leptin in early lactation are related to shorter duration of postpartum anovulation in healthy US women

Relationship among Breastfeeding Exposure, Knowledge, and Attitudes in Collegiate Males Residing in East Texas

BACKGROUND

Researchers exploring breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge among women suggest the decision to breastfeed is influenced by the male partner, yet few studies address males. Because collegiate males will soon enter fatherhood, assessment of their attitudes and knowledge may inform interventions aimed at increasing intention to breastfeed.

RESEARCH AIM

This study aimed to describe collegiate males' exposure to, attitude toward, and knowledge about breastfeeding.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was used with males ≥ 18 years of age enrolled at a Texas public university. Attitude indices measured included social limitations, public displays of breastfeeding, and employer accommodations. Descriptive statistics, correlational and regression analyses were employed.

RESULTS

The participants' (N = 949) average age was 25.48 years; > 80% reported not being fathers. Exposure to breastfeeding was high; > 80% witnessed breastfeeding and/or had someone close breastfeed. High attitude scores indicated social acceptability of breastfeeding. Knowledge appeared limited: only 16% identified the recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; > 50% overlooked the reduced risk for overweight/obesity, ear infections, diarrhea, or food allergies. Correlations between knowledge, exposure, total attitude, and index scores were positive (p < .01) except for the public displays index. Stepwise multiple regression determined that breastfeeding exposure, knowledge scores, and father's educational level predicted total attitude score, (R² = 0.13, F (3,851) = 44.02, p < .01).

CONCLUSION

The positive attitudes outcome among this male population is promising for breastfeeding support and advocacy. Education efforts improving knowledge will likely increase behavioral intention, resulting in increased breastfeeding rates and duration.

Spontaneous ovulation in cats-Uterine findings and correlations with animal weight and age

Cats are considered induced ovulating animals but ovulations occur in the absence of mating (i.e., spontaneous ovulations). Factors that stimulate such ovulations remain largely unknown. In this study, ovaries and uterine horn segments from 89 post-pubertal queens presented for ovariectomy were evaluated morphologically and histologically. It was hypothesized that corpora lutea (CL) are present in non-pregnant cats and can be associated with cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH). Cats were assigned to three age groups (7-12 months, n = 32; 13-24 months, n = 26 and ≥ 24 months, n = 31) and three weight groups (2.1-2.8 kg, n = 28; > 2.8-3.3 kg, n = 32 and > 3.3 kg, n = 29). Uterine horn diameter and thickness of the endometrium and myometrium were determined. Corpora lutea were detected in 39.3% of the cats and presence did not differ between age groups. The percentage of queens with CL increased with bodyweight (2.1-2.8 kg: 14.3%; > 2.8-3.3 kg: 37.5%, > 3.3 kg: 65.5%; P < 0.01). In cats with CL, the thickness of all layers of the uterus were greater than in cats without CL (P < 0.05). Of the cats, 22.5% had CEH but there was no difference between cats without and with CL. The percentage of CEH increased with age (P < 0.001) but did not differ between weight groups. In conclusion, ovulations occurred in the absence of mating in approximately one third of all queens.

What's normal? Oligosaccharide concentrations and profiles in milk produced by healthy women vary geographically

Background: Human milk is a complex fluid comprised of myriad substances, with one of the most abundant substances being a group of complex carbohydrates referred to as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). There has been some evidence that HMO profiles differ in populations, but few studies have rigorously explored this variability.Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that HMO profiles differ in diverse populations of healthy women. Next, we examined relations between HMO and maternal anthropometric and reproductive indexes and indirectly examined whether differences were likely related to genetic or environmental variations.Design: In this cross-sectional, observational study, milk was collected from a total of 410 healthy, breastfeeding women in 11 international cohorts and analyzed for HMOs by using high-performance liquid chromatography.Results: There was an effect of the cohort (P < 0.05) on concentrations of almost all HMOs. For instance, the mean 3-fucosyllactose concentration was >4 times higher in milk collected in Sweden than in milk collected in rural Gambia (mean ± SEM: 473 ± 55 compared with 103 ± 16 nmol/mL, respectively; P < 0.05), and disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT) concentrations ranged from 216 ± 14 nmol/mL (in Sweden) to 870 ± 68 nmol/mL (in rural Gambia) (P < 0.05). Maternal age, time postpartum, weight, and body mass index were all correlated with several HMOs, and multiple differences in HMOs [e.g., lacto-N-neotetrose and DSLNT] were shown between ethnically similar (and likely genetically similar) populations who were living in different locations, which suggests that the environment may play a role in regulating the synthesis of HMOs.Conclusions: The results of this study support our hypothesis that normal HMO concentrations and profiles vary geographically, even in healthy women. Targeted genomic analyses are required to determine whether these differences are due at least in part to genetic variation. A careful examination of sociocultural, behavioral, and environmental factors is needed to determine their roles in this regard. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02670278.

Postpartum Sexuality and the Lactational Amenorrhea Method for Contraception

This chapter reviews the literature on postpartum coital behavior, anovulatory and ovulatory bleeding episodes, and the methodology and efficacy of Lactational Amenorrhea Method and progesterone-only oral contraceptives. Of interest is the finding that breastfeeding women may resume coital behavior earlier postpartum, but report increased discomfort over time. The high efficacy of the Lactational Amenorrhea Method is confirmed and data illustrating possible relaxation of some criteria are presented. The conflicting guidance of CDC and WHO concerning immediate postpartum use of progestin-only methods is presented. The dearth of recent studies calls for new research on these topics.

Fecal Microbial Community Structure Is Stable over Time and Related to Variation in Macronutrient and Micronutrient Intakes in Lactating Women

BACKGROUND

The fecal microbiota has been characterized in some adult populations, but little is known about its community structure during lactation.

OBJECTIVES

We characterized the maternal fecal microbiome during lactation and explored possible mediating factors such as nutrition.

METHODS

Fecal samples were collected from 20 lactating women from 2 d to 6 mo postpartum, and bacterial taxa were characterized with the use of high-throughput sequencing. Bacterial community structure (at each taxonomic level) and relations between bacterial taxa and environmental and dietary variables were visualized and analyzed with the use of stacked bar charts, principal component analysis, and multivariate analyses such as nonmetric multidimensional scaling and canonical correlation analysis.

RESULTS

Complex bacterial community structure was somewhat similar to those previously published for other adult populations (although there were some notable differences), and there were no clear associations with time postpartum or anthropometric or environmental variables. However, Spearman rank correlations suggested that increased intake of pantothenic acid, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 were related to increased relative abundance of Prevotella (r = 0.45, 0.39, 0.34, and 0.24, respectively; P ≤ 0.01) and decreased relative abundance of Bacteroides (r = -0.55, -0.46, -0.32, and -0.35, respectively; P ≤ 0.01). Intakes of copper, magnesium, manganese, and molybdenum were positively associated with Firmicutes (r = 0.33, 0.38, 0.44, and 0.51, respectively; P ≤ 0.01) and negatively associated with Bacteroidetes (r = -0.38, -0.44, -0.48, and -0.53, respectively; P ≤ 0.01). Overall, data consistently suggest that increased consumption of a more nutrient- and calorie-rich diet was positively associated with relative abundance of Firmicutes.

CONCLUSIONS

The fecal microbiome of lactating women is relatively stable in the postpartum period and somewhat similar to that of other adult populations. Variation in dietary constituents may be related to that of relative abundance of individual bacterial taxa. Controlled dietary intervention studies will be required to determine whether these associations are causal in nature.

Elevated dairy fat intake in lactating women alters milk lipid and fatty acids without detectible changes in expression of genes related to lipid uptake or synthesis

Previous work has demonstrated that elevated maternal lipid intake (particularly from dairy products) is associated with increased lipids and altered fatty acid profile in milk produced by healthy lactating women. To investigate our primary hypothesis that a maternal diet rich in full-fat dairy products would simultaneously increase milk lipid percent and expression of genes related to the uptake and/or de novo biosynthesis of milk lipids, we provided 15 lactating women with diets enriched in full-fat or nonfat dairy products for 14 days each in a randomized, crossover study with a 2-week washout period. Milk fat (%) was lower when women consumed the low-fat compared with the full-fat dairy diet (2.41% ± 0.31% vs 3.35% ± 0.28%, respectively; P < .05); concentrations of more than 20 fatty acids also differed. However, neither conservatively evaluated microarray data nor quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis uncovered any treatment effects on expression of genes related to lipid synthesis or uptake. These data suggest that alteration in gene expression in the lactating human mammary gland is likely not the primary mechanism by which consumption of a high-fat diet affects milk fat percent in healthy, lactating women.