Mammary gland 'remembers' prior pregnancy, spurring milk production
Thursday, May 7, 2015 - 13:30
in Psychology & Sociology
Anecdotal reports of nursing mothers have long suggested that giving milk is a lot easier in second and subsequent pregnancies, compared with a first pregnancy. Now, researchers can explain why. Their work shows the mammary gland forms a long-term memory of pregnancy that primes it to respond to the hormonal changes that announce succeeding pregnancies.