Transgender woman breastfeeds baby

By Julie Griffiths on 15 February 2018 Breastfeeding Infant Feeding LGBT

A new study reveals how a transgender woman in the US has been able to breastfeed a baby for six weeks exclusively.

The case report was published in the journal Transgender Health and explains how the 30-year-old was able to breastfeed after taking a specific regimen of drugs and breast pumping.

The woman had been on hormone replacement therapy for six years, but had not had gender reassignment surgery.

Following a three-and-a-half-month course of treatment prior to the birth of the baby, the woman was able to achieve sufficient breast milk volume (around eight ounces a day) to be the sole source of nourishment for the child for six weeks.

The researchers report that during that time the child’s growth, feeding and bowel habits were assessed by a paediatrician and were ‘developmentally appropriate’.

At week six the woman began supplementing with formula, but was able to continue to breastfeed as a supplement to formula feeding for her baby, who at the time of the report being submitted was six months old.

The authors state that future investigation will be required to determine the optimal treatment for other transgender women hoping to breastfeed.

Access the case report here.