Understanding hormones that control human milk production
A WRH research centre that operates within our Maternal and Fetal Health theme and led by Professor Fadil Hannan.
The Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Oxford Centre for the Endocrinology of Human Lactation (LRF OCEHL)
Why this project is important?
Breastfeeding and lactation are required for optimal infant growth and development. However, very little is known about how human mammary glands produce milk and also how hormones influence this process.
In fact more is known about how cows produce milk than how women do. LRF OCEHL is addressing this knowledge gap and investigating how hormones trigger human lactation within the first few days after childbirth.
Why is so little known about human lactation?
The main reason is that to understand how the lactating mammary gland functions, we would require a sample of this gland to study its biology. But how many women producing milk would be prepared give up a mammary gland for scientific understanding? The answer is likely to be none, so we have to find another way.
In addition to measuring hormones in breastfeeding women, we also study cellular material and other components in human milk to build up a picture of the processes involved in lactation.
HOW WILL THIS RESEARCH HELP WOMEN?
We hope to gain a greater understanding about how hormones stimulate the human mammary glands to produce milk. This will help us to develop better ways to assess and provide help for mothers who are struggling to breastfeed or producing too little milk (known as lactation insufficiency).
The INSIGHT Study
INSIGHT STUDY AIMS
- Establish reference intervals for hormones initiating the onset of lactation during the first few days after childbirth
- Characterise longitudinal changes in lactation hormones during the early post-partum period
- Determine if hormones influence human milk composition
About the Study
LRF OCEHL are currently running the INSIGHT study to help establish normal ranges for breastfeeding hormones and understand why some mothers have difficulty producing milk.
We are measuring hormone levels at the very start of breastfeeding and this is done by asking our study participants to provide blood samples for up to 4 days following childbirth.
We also record when milk ‘comes in’ and collect a small sample of milk. A maternity healthcare professional collects samples either in hospital or at home. At the same time they can provide personalised breastfeeding support and advice.
A lot happens to each of the blood and milk donations that we receive - read our post to follow the journey of a sample!
LRF OCEHL aims
- What are the underlying biological processes causing lactation insufficiency?
- Which hormones, other than prolactin and oxytocin, are driving human breast milk production?
- Can we use hormone measurements as tools to diagnose lactation insufficiency and tailor personalised treatments to increase breast milk production?
Lactation is critical to infant short-term and long-term health and protects mothers from breast cancer, ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus. - Fadil M. Hannan, Taha Elajnaf, Laura N. Vandenberg, Stephen H. Kennedy & Rajesh V. Thakker
UPDATE: How our research is going?
Our main study, INSIGHT, is recruiting participants until the end of 2024. We’ve already had more than 300 participants providing unique and invaluable plasma colostrum and breastmilk samples.
As we are unable to get access to tissue we spend a lot of time creating cell models in the laboratory that simulate what is going on it breast tissues. We are also learning a lot using state of the art imaging techniques. For example this incredible image is of a single cultured human mammary epithelial cell.
LRF OCEHL is also excited to be involved in a 5 year project investigating the impact of extreme heat exposure on pregnancy and lactation in women across India. HiP-India is a Welcome funded project led by Professor Jane Hirst, Imperial College London, that aims to describe the impact of extreme heat exposure and physiological responses in women across India.
LRF OCEHL will be looking into the effects of extreme heat exposure around birth and whether this will delay lactation onset, affect milk composition and decrease serum prolactin.
Useful links
A thank you
Thank you for our key funders, Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
LRF OCEHL
The vision of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Oxford Centre for the Endocrinology of Human Lactation (LRF OCEHL) is to build a holistic understanding, at the molecular and clinical level, of how hormones regulate human milk production and influence maternal-infant bonding – for the benefit of mothers’ and children’s health globally.
Consortium page
The Global Human Milk Research Consortium (GHMRC) exists to promote excellence in breastmilk and breastfeeding research with interdisciplinary collaborations that challenge the science.
Featured publications
Hormonal regulation of mammary gland development and lactation
Journal article
Hannan FM. et al, (2022), Nature Reviews Endocrinology
Journal article
Rostom H. et al, (2022), BMJ Open, 12
Research Publication Highlight
This paper published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology discusses hormones and mammary cell processes mediating the onset of lactation after childbirth.
Hannan, F.M., Elajnaf, T., Vandenberg, L.N. et al. Hormonal regulation of mammary gland development and lactation. Nat Rev Endocrinol 19, 46–61 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-022-00742-y
The research team
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Fadil Hannan
Director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Oxford Centre for the Endocrinology of Human Lactation
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Xin Meng
Postdoctoral Researcher
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Archer Amy
Clinical Research Practitioner
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Samantha Ewers
Clinical Research Assistant
How can you support our research in lactation?
We are committed to advancing the human lactation knowledge base. Please get in touch to explore how, together, we can improve the health and wellbeing of mothers and infants around the world.
For further information, please visit the LRF OCEHL website