Researchers at Duke University used experimental hormones to help a transgender mother of five breastfeed her grandchildren, but the study is ‘frankly alarming’ It has been criticized harshly.
The unidentified 50-year-old man is “naturally breastfeeding” and can now produce up to 30ml of milk at a time after four weeks of hormone treatment, researchers recently announced. wrote in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine.
She was then able to feed her 4-month-old grandson without experiencing side effects herself, the researchers wrote in the study. According to the Daily Mail.
Researchers said that after the biological man contacted the University of North Carolina in spring 2022, he wanted to help build “the breastfeeding bond he never had with his five children.” Stated.
Scientists around the world had already been able to help four other transgender women induce lactation to breastfeed, but researchers at Duke University use a different treatment protocol. There was a need. That’s because the drugs used in the previous four studies have not yet been approved for use in the United States. So writes the Food and Drug Administration.
Eventually, the grandmother was able to help her daughter feed the newborn and was moved to tears.
“The patient tearfully reported that this was an important and emotional experience for her, and very different from feeding formula to other children,” the scientists wrote in their diary, according to the Mail. did.
“She said she has a special bond with this baby and is grateful for that.”
“She regrets not knowing about the possibility sooner and wishes other transgender women knew that breastfeeding their babies could be a reality.”
It added: “Conversations with subjects before, during, and after treatment provided important insights into the ongoing discussion about the role of lactation induction and breastfeeding in gender-affirming care.”
But Heather Welford from With Women, a group of midwives and breastfeeding experts, slammed the study as “alarming”.
“Most people would find this idea completely shocking,” she told the Mail.
“Babies come into the world ready to continue their relationship with their mother, and breastfeeding helps with this,” she said.
“It’s frankly disturbing to see other people trying to breastfeed and disrupting this.”
Maya Forstater, executive director of Sex Matters, said: “Babies cannot consent to being patients in research that sets aside biological realities to define treatment protocols for so-called ‘gender medicine.’ said.
“Men should not be allowed to get between infants and mothers, or use infants as props to prove their belief that they are women, and they should not be supported,” she said. Ta.
The study comes less than a year after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came under fire after issuing advice for transgender women to “breastfeed” their children.
The CDC’s website states, “Some transgender parents who have had breast or top surgery may choose to breastfeed their infants, or breastfeed (a term used by some transgender and non-binary parents). Some people desire that.”
The report states, “Healthcare providers working with these families must be familiar with the medical, emotional, and social aspects of gender transition to provide optimal family-centered care and meet the infant’s nutritional needs.” “You need to do it,” he suggested.
But it did not mention any health risks to the baby, including that one of the drugs used to induce lactation in biological males can cause irregular heartbeats in children.
