Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, NYU Steinhardt, New York, New York; School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, New York.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
J Acad Nutr Diet. 2023 Sep;123(9):1329-1339. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2023.05.019. Epub 2023 May 24.
Perceived insufficient milk is a primary reason for early breastfeeding cessation. Some breastfeeding mothers may use galactagogues (ie, foods, beverages, herbal supplements, and pharmaceuticals) to try to increase milk supply. However, milk production requires frequent and effective milk removal, and there is limited evidence on the safety and efficacy of galactagogues. Additional research on the use of galactagogues is needed to inform breastfeeding support.
Describe the prevalence of use and perceived effects of galactagogues and compare galactagogue use by maternal characteristics.
Cross-sectional online survey.
PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: A convenience sample of 1,294 adult women breastfeeding a singleton child and living in the United States were recruited using paid Facebook advertisements between December 2020 and February 2021.
Self-reported current or previous use of galactagogues and their perceived effects on milk production.
Frequencies and percentages described the use and perceived effects of galactagogues. The χ test of independence and independent t tests compared galactagogue use by select maternal characteristics.
More than half of participants (57.5%) reported using any galactagogues, 55.4% reported consuming foods or beverages, and 27.7% reported using herbal supplements. Few participants (1.4%) reported using pharmaceuticals. Participants reported varying effects of specific galactagogues on milk production. Reported galactagogue use was higher among participants who reported first-time breastfeeding (yes: 66.7% vs no: 49.3%; P < 0.001), breastfeeding pumped milk (yes: 63.1% vs no: 50.4%; P < 0.001), formula supplementation (yes: 66.8% vs no: 50.4%; P < 0.001), and perceived insufficient milk (yes: 78.8% vs no: 53.8%; P < 0.001).
Breastfeeding mothers in the United States commonly reported using galactagogues to increase milk production, highlighting the need for research on the safety and efficacy of galactagogues and enhanced breastfeeding support.
母乳不足是导致早期母乳喂养停止的主要原因。一些哺乳期母亲可能会使用催乳剂（即食物、饮料、草药补充剂和药物）来增加乳汁供应。然而，乳汁的产生需要频繁且有效的乳汁移出，关于催乳剂的安全性和有效性的证据有限。需要进一步研究催乳剂的使用情况，以为母乳喂养提供支持。
描述催乳剂的使用情况和感知效果，并比较催乳剂使用与产妇特征的关系。
横断面在线调查。
参与者/设置：本研究招募了 2020 年 12 月至 2021 年 2 月期间，通过付费 Facebook 广告，在美国招募了 1294 名喂养单胎婴儿的成年女性。
自我报告的当前或以前使用催乳剂及其对乳汁产生的感知效果。
使用频率和百分比描述催乳剂的使用和感知效果。χ ²检验独立性和独立 t 检验比较了特定产妇特征与催乳剂使用的关系。
超过一半的参与者（57.5%）报告使用过任何催乳剂，55.4%报告食用过食物或饮料，27.7%报告使用过草药补充剂。很少有参与者（1.4%）报告使用过药物。参与者报告了特定催乳剂对乳汁产生的不同影响。首次母乳喂养（是：66.7% vs 否：49.3%；P < 0.001）、母乳喂养泵奶（是：63.1% vs 否：50.4%；P < 0.001）、配方奶补充（是：66.8% vs 否：50.4%；P < 0.001）和感觉母乳不足（是：78.8% vs 否：53.8%；P < 0.001）的参与者报告催乳剂使用情况更高。
美国母乳喂养的母亲普遍报告使用催乳剂来增加乳汁产量，这突显了对催乳剂的安全性和有效性进行研究和增强母乳喂养支持的必要性。
