Dysphoric MER

There's been a lot of conversation lately on Lactnet (a discussion list for lactation professionals) about depression specifically tied to the milk ejection reflex (MER). This phenomenon has been named dyphoric MER, or D-MER.

I have been following these exchanges with great interest. I experienced what I now realize was D-MER, and these discussions have provided many "a-ha!" moments.

Here's a great personal description of the phenomenon at Law & Motherhood.

And there's a fantastic D-MER website - www.d-mer.org - "Because breastfeeding shouldn't make you feel this way." I strongly urge you to check this site out, and if you have experienced D-MER please fill out their survey!!

Personally, I suspect that prolactin plays a large role in D-MER. Looking at the survey responses thus far, a lot of women have reported having overactive let down and oversupply issues. Both are associated with high levels of prolactin.

And interestingly enough - endometriosis (which I have) is also associated with high levels of prolactin. And every endo patient I know who's breastfed has experienced OALD/OAS.

Girls get more protection from breastfeeding than boys?

A new study out of the John Hopkins Children's Center is reported in the June issue of Pediatrics:

Doctors monitored 119 premature babies through their first year of life and found that girls who received formula were eight times more likely to be hospitalised with respiratory illnesses than those weaned on breast milk.

But breastfeeding did not have the same protective effect on boys. Nearly a fifth of boys developed respiratory infections severe enough to need hospital treatment, whether they were breastfed or not. 1



1. Sample, I. (2008, 2 June) Study finds breastfed girls protected from chest illness, The Guardian