I am currently reading a book called “Why is sex fun – The Evolution Of Human Sexuality “ by Jared Diamond.
One of the chapters deals with male lactation , and mentions that there have been many documented cases (a large percentage was mentioned, which I now forget), where adolescent males have produced ‘milk’ through constant self - stimulation of their own nipples.
I was wondering if anyone here has experienced this phenomenon first hand or heard of others who have? Is anyone ‘brave’ enough to share their story?
Have any guys out there ever attempted to produce milk with a breast pump? Were you successful?
(I also read somewhere that Leon Trotsky actually lactated and breast fed his children- is this verifiable?) Thanks for any answers…
I actually do this through my left nipple. Not a lot mind you. I doubt that I could feed a gnat. It happens mostly in the winter for some reason and it hurts. But every now and then there is a little coating of mostly clear dried up fluid on my left nipple. Then it peels off and it feel like it takes the top layer of skin of my nipple. I asked a doctor about it once he said it was just a bit of male lactation and no big deal.
But I don’t sit around stimulating it. However I always seems to get more/bigger nipple bumps out of that one.
The book mentioned that it was very common in POW’s (or in anyone malnurished), that when they were eventually fed, the glands controlling certain hormones recovered faster than the liver or kidneys, released chemicals and produced many cases of spontaneous lactation.
But I wonder what the reason is that it happens to you mainly in winter time? Did the Doctor give a reason for its seasonal appearance?
Lactation in anyone other than pregnant/recently pregnant/nursing mothers may be a sign of a prolactin-producing tumor on the pituitary gland. Anyone experiencing this phenomenon should consult a doctor. There are many other possible causes for “witch’s milk”, but as pituitary tumors can be fatal if left untreated it is important to have it looked in to.
Male lactation is possible, even to the point where feeding of an infant is possible. Most of the cases I’ve seen writeups on were modern cases where hormone therapy was used in conjunction with nipple stimulation and other forms of encouragement. As a naturally-occurring phenomenon? It’s extremely rare and rarely goes beyond the level described by Zebra(kudos for being so frank about your experience BTW. Give Cecil an army of posters like Zebra and we’d have this ignorance thing licked in no time.).
As for the stories concerning the PoWs, yes mammary glands are one of the first priorities of mammalian metabolism. In a well-nourished person this takes a tiny portion of the nutritional intake and will rarely be noticable. In a malnourished person the effects would be more noticable simply because those bodily functions would resume normality before the rest of the body. I have not seen studies or case studies, but I would imagine that the one of the first parts of a malnourished adult which fills back out when their diet returns to a healthy proportion would be the breasts. The fat supplies are necessary for proper functioning of the mammary glands.
Lamia while it’s true that the hormone prolactin is important in the production of milk(in both genders), the presence of a small amount of milk in the male(at the level Zebra is relating) is not a very sure sign of a hormonal imbalance. I realize you did not suggest it as a sure-fire sign, but it’s normal enough that, unless coupled with other symptoms, I wouldn’t feel concerned about it’s presence. There are other effects of a hormone imbalance which would probably be manifest if such a tumor were present and would be better indicators of a problem.(Increased appetite and cravings for sweet/salty foods are among the symptoms of excessive prolactin.)
I wouldn’t worry about symptoms like Zebra described (and he has seen a doctor anyway), but anyone experiencing unexplained steady lactation should have it checked out. It’s easy enough to rule out hormonal imbalance if that is not the cause; a little Q&A or, at most, a simple blood test can do it.
You can’t always count on this, though. The only symptom of my pituitary tumor prior to the time when I began experiencing neurological effects was slight-but-steady lactation. This is unusual (especially in women; we usually stop menstruating), but it obviously can happen.