# Do You Know Any Men Who Breastfeed?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-men-who-breastfeed/215635>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 27, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-men-who-breastfeed/215635 "2003-11-27T23:18:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![CheekyMonkey613](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@CheekyMonkey613](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheekyMonkey613)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-men-who-breastfeed/215635/21 "2003-11-28T21:12:06Z")

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Of course I realize that breast cancer is also found in men. However, that was not the topic of my post. Though the topics are RELATED (on a tangent alone), I don’t really understand how the topic of male breast cancer got mixed up with the topic of MALE LACTATION.

Nor am I referring to men who are given hormones in order to lactate.

I am asking if you have ever heard of a male lactating by a suckling stimulus alone (as was implied by the doctor in my original post and many sites I have looked up since then). Keep in mind that because you’ve never heard of it (like I hadn’t) doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. Through my research on the internet, I do believe that it is possible without hormones.

But WHAT are the family dynamics that would cause such an occurence and what are the social/familial/enviromental situations that occur in such a circumstance?

Again boys, sorry to blow your cover :smack:

LOL … Cheeky

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**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-men-who-breastfeed/215635/22 "2003-11-28T22:02:59Z")

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I don’t think that the smaller breast size in men would be a primary impediment. Many men have more apparent mammary tissue (stuff that shows up on MRI not the fatty ‘man-boobs’ of public comedy) than some women (though I obviously don’t know its histological viability) It’s well known in medicine that most women can breastfeed successfully almost without regard to breast size. In my experience, the rare cases of ‘inadequate milk to breastfeed’ are not necessarily in women with very small breasts.

I wish I’d thought about this when my son was a baby. Trust me, I’d have been there with bells -er- nursing bras and absorptive pads on!

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**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-any-men-who-breastfeed/215635/23 "2003-11-28T22:38:48Z")

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**Cheeky** , the “family dynamics” were that we were having sex.

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