# How quickly could a woman start lactating?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-could-a-woman-start-lactating/972331>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 27, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-could-a-woman-start-lactating/972331 "2022-09-27T17:51:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-could-a-woman-start-lactating/972331/1 "2022-09-27T17:51:34Z")

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Assuming non-pregnancy. If a woman does everything to start lactating ex nihilo: taking hormones, drinking red clover tea, using a breast pump to simulating the baby sucking, etc. If all that is being done, how quickly would a woman start producing milk?

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-could-a-woman-start-lactating/972331/2 "2022-09-27T17:55:49Z")

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Would the purpose be to provide breast milk for a baby when substitutes won’t do? I just mention that because of recent formula shortages where means of obtaining more breast milk were discussed as a solution in some cases.

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**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-could-a-woman-start-lactating/972331/3 "2022-09-27T17:57:19Z")

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From [breastfeeding-magazine.com](http://breastfeeding-magazine.com):

> Be patient, lactation without pregnancy takes time. Some women who have lactated before report that it takes about 3 days to a week to relactate. (It usually depends on how long it has been since you stopped nursing.) Women who have never produced milk before report an average time of two-weeks to a few months for changes to occur.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-could-a-woman-start-lactating/972331/4 "2022-09-27T17:57:59Z")

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No baby/pregnancy so if we need a scenario above medical curiosity, let’s say she wants to get a job as a wet nurse.

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**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-could-a-woman-start-lactating/972331/5 "2022-09-29T08:20:14Z")

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Not human related, but one of my dogs had a step mom (a Rhodesian Ridgeback) who began auto-lactating and raised 9 puppies when their actual birth mom (a German Pointer) was disinterested (first litter, perhaps, could be the reason) and declined to be a parent.