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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday February 17 2018, @05:40PM   Printer-friendly
from the (breast)-milk-does-a-body-good dept.

Transgender woman is first to be able to breastfeed her baby

A 30-year-old transgender woman has become the first officially recorded to breastfeed her baby. An experimental three-and-a-half-month treatment regimen, which included hormones, a nausea drug and breast stimulation, enabled the woman to produce 227 grams of milk a day.

"This is a very big deal," says Joshua Safer of Boston Medical Center, who was not involved with the treatment. "Many transgender women are looking to have as many of the experiences of non-transgender women as they can, so I can see this will be extremely popular."

The transgender woman had been receiving feminising hormonal treatments for several years before she started the lactation treatment. These included spironolactone, which is thought to block the effects of testosterone, and progesterone and a type of oestrogen. This regimen enabled her to develop breasts that looked fully grown, according to a medical scale that assesses breast development based on appearance. She had not had any breast augmentation surgery.

When her partner was five-and-a-half-months pregnant, the woman sought medical treatment from Tamar Reisman and Zil Goldstein at Mount Sinai's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery in New York City. Her partner had no interest in breastfeeding, she explained, so she would like to take on that role instead.

The milk produced was supplemented by formula because a baby typically needs 500 grams of milk per day at 5 days old.

Related: President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Says Transgender Women Could Give Birth


Original Submission

Related Stories

President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Says Transgender Women Could Give Birth 107 comments

Richard Paulson, President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, has said that transgender women could give birth as soon as "tomorrow" using donated wombs:

Those born with male assigned sex organs cannot conceive children biologically; however, this may soon change, at least according to one fertility expert. Transgender women—those who were assigned male at birth—could give birth as early as "tomorrow," Richard Paulson, an obstetrician-gynecologist and the president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said, according to The Telegraph. Thanks to advances in transgender medicine, donated wombs may be able to help transgender women conceive on their own, Paulson said during the society's annual conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Since at least 1999, transgender men have successfully given birth to healthy children, The Washington Post [archive] reports. More recently, Trystan Reese, a transgender man and his partner Biff Chaplow, gave birth to a healthy child last August. Despite their successes, the process is much more complex for transgender women. Primarily because a man's pelvis is a different shape than a woman's, making the birth much more complicated. Still, Paulson insists that it's possible, but notes the birth must be conducted via cesarean section.

"There would be additional challenges, but I don't see any obvious problem that would preclude it," Paulson said. "I personally suspect there are going to be trans women who are going to want to have a uterus and will likely get the transplant."

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  • (Score: 0, Insightful) by idiot_king on Saturday February 17 2018, @05:42PM (20 children)

    by idiot_king (6587) on Saturday February 17 2018, @05:42PM (#639382)

    If the alt-right retards still think gender was inherent, they're not ready for the future.
    But it doesn't matter, because they're clearly not the ones reproducing anyway :)

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:06PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:06PM (#639388)

      If the alt-right retards still think gender was inherent, they're not ready for the future.

      Why is the alt-right position on transsexuals important? Why would your political views dictate your personal opinion on a male being able to breastfeed?

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:12PM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:12PM (#639389)

      I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter...

      • (Score: 5, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:46PM (3 children)

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:46PM (#639399) Homepage Journal

        I am as well but I'm trans-former because I want to be able to turn into a giant robot too.

        --
        My rights don't end where your fear begins.
        • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:51PM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:51PM (#639432)

          I believe it, never seen a helicopter with a dick.

          • (Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @08:54PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @08:54PM (#639453)
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @06:55AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @06:55AM (#639637)

              So he's a helicopter for the Ballchinians?

    • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:40PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:40PM (#639427)

      If the alt-right retards still think gender was inherent, they're not ready for the future.
      But it doesn't matter, because they're clearly not the ones reproducing anyway :)

      Obviously, the king of the idiots is trolling, but I'll take the bait anyway. Gender IS inherent. It you take the little faggot's hormone cocktail away, you'll see just how female he really is.

    • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Captival on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:56PM (3 children)

      by Captival (6866) on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:56PM (#639524)

      Look at yourself in the mirror, you incredible moron. You're gloating in glee because an insane person cut off his own dick and replaced it with a machine that shoots milk out of his chest, so he can pretend to be something he isn't. And while that is disgusting and unnatural as it gets, you're pleased because the people you don't like are against it, no matter how sensible it is. What a loathsome abberation of a human being this makes you.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @01:38AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @01:38AM (#639555)

        Welcome oh latest edition to someone's troll accounts.

      • (Score: 1, Troll) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday February 18 2018, @02:42AM (1 child)

        by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday February 18 2018, @02:42AM (#639571) Homepage Journal

        There's too many links, so many people don't read the articles because it's too much. This one, I understand why nobody wants to read it. Very DISTURBING news! But it says on SoylentNews, on the summary, there's no machine. It's not a machine. If it was a machine, it would be OK. A baby drinking milk from a machine, that's normal. Milk coming out of a breast, very DISTURBING. Whether it's a woman or whoever.

        Let me tell you, lawyer Elizabeth Beck did a terrible job against me, she lost (I even got legal fees). I loved beating her, she was easy. She’s a terrible attorney. We beat her soundly. She’s got a terrible reputation. Bottom line, I beat her. And, it was a breast pump. We were meeting for a deposition, she wanted to breast pump in front of me. I may have said it was disgusting. I thought it was terrible. I watched that and I thought that was DISGRACEFUL and DISGUSTING!!

        • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @03:02AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @03:02AM (#639575)

          I loved beating her, she was easy. Bottom line, I beat her.

          Aren't we being a little too revealing today?

    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by jmorris on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:22AM (4 children)

      by jmorris (4844) on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:22AM (#639531)

      So we are supposed to be happy with this timeline? We didn't get flying cars, we didn't get space colonies, but we got a huge welfare state and innocent children used as medical experiments to see if moobs that are forced to lactate are safe?

      FUCK THIS GAY EARTH!

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by unauthorized on Sunday February 18 2018, @06:11AM (1 child)

      by unauthorized (3776) on Sunday February 18 2018, @06:11AM (#639627)

      We can with a 100% certainty determine whether an organism naturally produces eggs or sperm based entirely on a genetic sample. If you think that's not inherent then you are not ready for middle school.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:20PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:20PM (#639732)

        We can also test genetics with 100% certainty for a number of genetic diseases.

        So because they are generically inherent we should never try to fix these diseases, right?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 19 2018, @12:15AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 19 2018, @12:15AM (#639881)

      Family size for leftists is on average a bit less than 2 kids per woman. In other words, they are headed toward extinction. It's no surprise. You won't get lots of kids when you favor abortions, working females, and LGBT.

      Family size for the right is on average about 2.5 kids per woman. This is exponential growth.

      I'd dig up a reference for you, but every word is so damn common and ordinary. It's unsearchable as far as I can tell.

      I'm doing my part, having produced 11 kids so far. I'm raising them hard-core alt-right, although their mom dilutes that with hard-core Catholicism. The future belongs to those who show up.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 19 2018, @05:01AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 19 2018, @05:01AM (#639970)

        Well the historic trend is towards true liberalism, you can go into it squealing like a pig and popping out unsaistainable levels of children but thankfully odds are your kids will break out of your brainwashing eventually. Can see the stories all the time, ex alt-riggters and Catholics who are horrified at what they once were.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Appalbarry on Saturday February 17 2018, @05:58PM (3 children)

    by Appalbarry (66) on Saturday February 17 2018, @05:58PM (#639385) Journal

    Always true, but for this one an absolute must.

    • (Score: 4, Funny) by fadrian on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:03PM (1 child)

      by fadrian (3194) on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:03PM (#639387) Homepage

      Well now I'm confused. If I don't read the comments, I can't read your comment that says not to read the comments. But if I do read your comment, I've already read a comment. Why are you asking people to do the impossible? You aren't a product manager, are you?

      --
      That is all.
      • (Score: 2) by Appalbarry on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:13PM

        by Appalbarry (66) on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:13PM (#639390) Journal

        The first rule of the Soylent Comment Club is....

    • (Score: 2) by Subsentient on Sunday February 18 2018, @09:08AM

      by Subsentient (1111) on Sunday February 18 2018, @09:08AM (#639661) Homepage Journal
      The cancer gave me comments.
      --
      "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:35PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:35PM (#639393)

    Tits or GTFO!

    Waitwhat?

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:37AM

      by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:37AM (#639538) Homepage
      GTFO = Gloriously, Testicals Formed Ovaries?
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
  • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:37PM (11 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @06:37PM (#639395)

    Congratulations to the scientists that worked to make our human existence more meaningful, by taking a man who was dressed / cut up to be a woman to produce milk.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:12PM (7 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:12PM (#639412)

      Probably better funded and more money in it than doing something useful like curing cancer or ALS.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:29PM (6 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:29PM (#639422)

        Any and all additional understanding in to human biology should be welcome. It might not be something that directly affects you, but it affects others.

        There is big money to be made by the medical industry in gender-reassignment related procedures. Expect to see more such advances in the future.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:06PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:06PM (#639460)

          There is big money to be made by the medical industry in gender-reassignment related procedures.

          Extremely unlikely, considering the statistical insignificance of the numbers of transvestites wanting cosmetic surgery and hormone cocktails.

          • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @02:45PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @02:45PM (#639712)

            Just wait until the massive advertising campaign. It will happen.

        • (Score: 4, Informative) by Kell on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:45AM (2 children)

          by Kell (292) on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:45AM (#639597)

          There is also a serious need to research methods to help genetic women produce milk better. The techniques used on this woman are directly applicable, since she was using her own biological breast tissue and glands. It's a fascinating development and it could help thousands of babies in the future, whose mothers cannot (for whatever reason) produce enough themselves.

          --
          Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
          • (Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @07:09AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @07:09AM (#639643)

            There is also a serious need to research methods to help genetic women produce milk better. The techniques used on this woman man are directly applicable, since she he was using her his own artificially developed biological breast tissue and glands. It's a fascinating development and it could help thousands of babies in the future, whose mothers cannot (for whatever reason) produce enough themselves.

            FTFY.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @09:41PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @09:41PM (#639822)

              it could help thousands of babies in the future, whose mothers cannot (for whatever reason) produce enough themselves by helping them to not feel so bad for not producing enough, by also not producing nearly enough.

              FWYFFY (fixed what you fixed for you)

        • (Score: 2) by unauthorized on Sunday February 18 2018, @06:23AM

          by unauthorized (3776) on Sunday February 18 2018, @06:23AM (#639631)

          Advancements that save people from dying to cancer are far more important than advancements in the field of medical vanity.

          AC's argument is quite valid, we have our priorities completely bonkers.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by kurenai.tsubasa on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:44PM (2 children)

      by kurenai.tsubasa (5227) on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:44PM (#639429) Journal

      Lactation isn't difficult to achieve. Any woman can do it. I've done it accidentally. I'm not sure why this is even news.

      • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday February 17 2018, @10:04PM (1 child)

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Saturday February 17 2018, @10:04PM (#639480) Journal

        I met an American guy in Shanghai who could lactate by expressing his nipple. He was an otherwise normal guy, too, not somebody who took hormones or the like.

        I did honestly find it disturbing, though. The haze of erguotou and second-hand smoke from the ball of hash they had bought from Uighurs in Inner Mongolia didn't buffer the experience enough.

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @03:07PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @03:07PM (#639723)

          When that happens to normal males, that is usually a symptom of a serious medical problem (such as major organ failure). From your description, that seems quite likely.

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:15PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:15PM (#639415)

    Why the hell do any of you guys care. Seriously, reading the comments already posted it looks like a bunch of retards humping a doorknob.

    Here, lets see if we can make a right winger's head explode.

    Don't you believe that the government should stay the fuck out of peoples business, especially if it doesn't impact anyone else? Y'all are against money costing regulations against oil drilling companies and that's to keep them from dumping toxic chemicals in our water supply, why would you be in favor of regulating someones sex life?

    Honestly I think they are all just scared they are going to accidentally cheat on their wives with a tranny.

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:55PM

      by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:55PM (#639523) Homepage Journal

      Don't you believe that the government should stay the fuck out of peoples business, especially if it doesn't impact anyone else?

      Why, yes. When did I say otherwise? Mocking something doesn't mean you want someone's right to be as big a weirdo as they like taken away. Hell, it doesn't even mean you disapprove of people being weirdos.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @08:34PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @08:34PM (#639801)

      Why don't you come up to Canada where if you call this guy-turned-woman a "dude" you can be charged with a hate crime. I can only imagine if you question what utterly insane genetic-carpet-bombing chemicals are being passed through the "milk" to the baby the CBC could label you "literally hitler" and have a rainbow haired "journalist" dox you under the guise of journalism.

      I wish I was exaggerating or being cute, I really do. This is the new Canada. A "tolerant" hellhole run by a vocal minority of nutbags who are normalizing serious mental conditions.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by frojack on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:32PM (15 children)

    by frojack (1554) on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:32PM (#639423) Journal

    227 grams per day (7ish oz) is less than a newborn needs in the first week, and way short of the 25 Oz requirement in the first six months.

    There is a huge list [babycenter.com] of foods and drugs moms are supposed to avoid while breastfeeding, some quite dangerous to baby. Yet the chemical stew needed to induce lactation was thought to be a good idea?

    But hey, as long as he gets to play girl, who cares about the baby's needs.
    Oh, wait, is that a "won't somebody please think of the children" moment?

    --
    No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by SanityCheck on Saturday February 17 2018, @08:39PM (10 children)

      by SanityCheck (5190) on Saturday February 17 2018, @08:39PM (#639448)

      It get's better my man!

      An experimental three-and-a-half-month treatment regimen, which included hormones, a nausea drug and breast stimulation,

      What kind of a nausea drug you ask? Could it be this one?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domperidone [wikipedia.org]

      Side effects associated with domperidone include dry mouth, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, rash, itching, hives, and hyperprolactinemia (the symptoms of which may include breast enlargement, galactorrhea, breast pain/tenderness, gynecomastia, hypogonadism, and menstrual irregularities).[29] Due to blockade of D2 receptors in the central nervous system, D2 receptor antagonists like metoclopramide can also produce a variety of additional side effects including drowsiness, akathisia, restlessness, insomnia, lassitude, fatigue, extrapyramidal symptoms, dystonia, Parkinsonian symptoms, tardive dyskinesia, and depression.[1][7] However, this is not the case with domperidone, because, unlike other D2 receptor antagonists, it minimally crosses the blood-brain-barrier, and for this reason, is rarely associated with such side effects.[1][7]

      Excess prolactin levels
      Due to D2 receptor blockade, domperidone causes hyperprolactinemia.[33] Hyperprolactinemia can suppress the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus, in turn suppressing the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) and resulting in hypogonadism (low sex hormone (e.g., testosterone, estradiol) levels).[34] As such, male patients may experience low libido, erectile dysfunction, and impaired spermatogenesis.[34] Also in accordance with hyperprolactinemia, 10–15% of female patients have been reported to experience mammoplasia (breast enlargement), mastodynia (breast pain/tenderness), galactorrhea (inappropriate or excessive milk production/secretion), and amenorrhea (cessation of menstrual cycles) with domperidone treatment.[33] Gynecomastia has been reported in males treated with domperidone,[35] and galactorrhea could occur in males as well.[34]

      I'm personally not looking forward to reading about how a perfectly healthy baby was fucked up by another mental-illness-disguised-as-treatment.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Entropy on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:37PM (7 children)

        by Entropy (4228) on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:37PM (#639469)

        You never will read about it. The mainstream media will bury that so deep it'll never be found.

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:44PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:44PM (#639471)

          She is no more mentally ill than any pie in the sky follower.

        • (Score: 4, Insightful) by linkdude64 on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:57PM (5 children)

          by linkdude64 (5482) on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:57PM (#639476)

          Just like they buried the story of David Reimer. The Left: They "Fucking Love Science" until it conflicts with their worldview.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Reimer [wikipedia.org]

          • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:26PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:26PM (#639509)

            "The Right", ignorant dicks who only agree with science that confirms their prejudices.

          • (Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:13AM (2 children)

            by SanityCheck (5190) on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:13AM (#639590)

            Remember that story. I will never have my son circumcised after reading "penis accidentally destroyed."

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:30PM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:30PM (#639749)

              Why would you have considered doing that at all?

              • (Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Monday February 19 2018, @01:35AM

                by SanityCheck (5190) on Monday February 19 2018, @01:35AM (#639905)

                Why would you have considered doing that at all?

                If you must know: Genetics. I had issue with foreskin not retracting, so I had a different kind of procedure done when I was around 10, not fun. I figured my son might run into similar issue.

          • (Score: 2) by Entropy on Sunday February 18 2018, @11:58AM

            by Entropy (4228) on Sunday February 18 2018, @11:58AM (#639675)

            Yikes. That's a really tragic story.

      • (Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:40AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:40AM (#639539)

        If you read source, the only medication she was on when feeding the baby are estradiol and aldactone, both of which are considered safe for breastfeeding. The three month regimen was before the baby was born.

      • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday February 18 2018, @07:29PM

        by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday February 18 2018, @07:29PM (#639780) Homepage Journal

        The medicine, sometimes they have the generic, you can have the generic or the name brand. You always, always get the name brand. It costs more, it's so much better. Propecia is the name brand of finasteride. And Dom Pérignon is the name brand of this one. I don't drink, a lot of my friends do. They say the "Dom" is the best. And we offer it at all my clubs and hotels.

    • (Score: 3, Disagree) by Phoenix666 on Saturday February 17 2018, @10:07PM (3 children)

      by Phoenix666 (552) on Saturday February 17 2018, @10:07PM (#639481) Journal

      That was my thought, too. Breast-feeding confers a number of nutritional, developmental, and health benefits to infants that formula can't, but when you're dosing the "mother" with hormones and chemicals to induce lactation it has to mess with the infant's system.

      --
      Washington DC delenda est.
      • (Score: 3, Informative) by Kell on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:49AM (2 children)

        by Kell (292) on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:49AM (#639601)

        when you're dosing the "mother" with hormones and chemicals to induce lactation it has to mess with the infant's system.

        It has to, right? I mean, those endocrinologists and doctors supervising her, and the other thousands of women who use those drugs, most certainly do not care whether they harm the infant. Certainly they do not.

        --
        Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
        • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Sunday February 18 2018, @03:06PM (1 child)

          by Phoenix666 (552) on Sunday February 18 2018, @03:06PM (#639722) Journal

          I hear you, but a lot of scientists, doctors, and researchers certified it was fine to inject dairy cattle with Bovine Growth Hormone to increase their output, because none of it would pass to human consumers or harm them. Now it looks like it does harm [globalhealingcenter.com].

          Another thing to consider about endocrinologists and doctors is that they're bloody minded. They like to dissect things and try things out. They want to make names for themselves like any other professional of whatever stripe. Being able to induce a transgender person to lactate is an arguable way to do that, for them. So it bears taking their claims to authority with a grain of salt. Having an "MD" or "PhD" next to their name does not mean everything they do is beyond reproach.

          --
          Washington DC delenda est.
          • (Score: 2) by Kell on Monday February 19 2018, @02:50PM

            by Kell (292) on Monday February 19 2018, @02:50PM (#640101)

            Except that making a transwoman lactate isn't exactly news - it's been done before many many times. Honestly, I'm surprised this even made headlines.

            And yeah, I totally get that a PhD doesn't mean one is infallible (including my own!), but "at the limits of our knowledge" doesn't mean "callous disregard for safety". Given the long history of success with infants with those chemicals, I'd wager they're on pretty solid footing. Whatever the case it's a hell of a wager to risk your medical license for a cheap media exposure stunt. I don't think that's what this is.

            --
            Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
  • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:36PM (#639425)

    Just ewwww!!

  • (Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @07:47PM (#639430)

    Who the real babies are. RWNJs

  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Arik on Saturday February 17 2018, @08:37PM (1 child)

    by Arik (4543) on Saturday February 17 2018, @08:37PM (#639446) Journal
    "A 30-year-old transgender woman has become the first officially recorded to breastfeed her baby. An experimental three-and-a-half-month treatment regimen, which included hormones, a nausea drug and breast stimulation, enabled the woman to produce 227 grams of milk a day."

    OK.

    ""This is a very big deal,""

    Nope. That's less than half a pint a day, not enough to keep an infant alive, barely enough to help out as a milkmaid. If the milk was clean, that is, don't want to feed the baby milk from someone on drugs of course... oops.

    "These included spironolactone, which is thought to block the effects of testosterone, and progesterone and a type of oestrogen. This regimen enabled her to develop breasts that looked fully grown, according to a medical scale that assesses breast development based on appearance. She had not had any breast augmentation surgery."

    The unspoken assumption here is that protruding breasts are needed for lactation, which is just sheer ignorance. The engineering connection runs the other way around - it's lactation that causes breasts to swell not vice versa. Human breasts, unusually, do swell at puberty but this has no direct connection to lactation, and is not necessary for it. Virtually all other animals that produce milk only swell a bit while lactating and typically shrink back afterwards as well. Bosomy women do not produce more milk, and it's actually perfectly normal for men to produce small amounts of milk under the old manual stimulation regime as well.

    So, no, it's not a big deal, it's not particularly new, and it still might be an interesting article if it were better written, but it's not.

    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:50AM

      by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:50AM (#639542) Homepage
      Mechanically, smaller breasts are better for breast-feeding. The pointier the better, bulbous is terrible - get it in! In order to reduce discomfort, you want the baby to latch on well behind the tip of the nipple - tricky when faced with saucers, or more "comfortable" dirty-pillows. (The biggest error from those who find nursing painful is to be shy about putting the breast into the mouth.)
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
  • (Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:24PM

    by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Saturday February 17 2018, @09:24PM (#639465)

    Read about something similar back in the late '80's or early '90's. Only difference was that the male in that case wasn't transgender, and the doctors statement in this case makes a special point of mentioning "first transgender".

    I have to wonder how the synthetic hormones and drugs will effect the baby though. From all the comments in the article about unknowns in the quality and effects of the milk being produced I can't help but think the baby is a bit of a guinea pig. Even the article points out that one of the drugs being used is specifically not recommended for use in the manner it is being used.

    Science is cool, but sometimes I have to wonder, was it really something that needed to do?

    --
    "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by requerdanos on Saturday February 17 2018, @10:03PM

    by requerdanos (5997) Subscriber Badge on Saturday February 17 2018, @10:03PM (#639479) Journal

    An experimental three-and-a-half-month treatment regimen, which included hormones, a nausea drug and breast stimulation, enabled the woman to produce 227 grams of milk a day.

    Well, that's actually kind of impressive. That's not a lot of milk--about one feeding's worth if I recall correctly--and I'd wonder what all is in it, but these minor criticisms aside, still--very impressive.

    "Many transgender women are looking to have as many of the experiences of non-transgender women as they can"

    I'll bet so, and this will help. Please note that "Transgender women" still means "people who are biologically male as can be checked with a DNA test." That doesn't mean that they don't want to have the experiences that other women have. (If you you disagree with anything in this paragraph, please send your complaint to dev@null and it will be dealt with expeditiously. Thank you.)

    Her partner had no interest in breastfeeding, she explained, so she would like to take on that role instead.

    Well, that isn't happening, not with only 230 grams of milk coming out in a whole day. When my son was a newborn, he'd take half that much in a single feeding, and after a month or so, that (230gm ~=8oz) was about the amount of a single feeding at about six feedings a day.

    But good try!

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:07PM (11 children)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:07PM (#639504) Journal

    Okay, I *know* why this works, it's because men technically have breasts too, they just don't develop. But...why? Why do this? With the amount of drugs it takes, feeding the resulting milk to a baby sounds really, really unsafe.

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:29PM (6 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:29PM (#639510)

      Careful, if you don't approve this story 100% some conservative brains may implode.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:30AM (5 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @12:30AM (#639535)

        Careful, if you don't approve this story 100% some conservative brains may implode.

        I really don't understand this, by what measure are TERFs (for example) conservatives?

        Most of the public rejects the transgender agenda and it's not because they're bigoted, prejudiced or even hostile towards transgender individuals. It's because accepting the genetic differences of our sexually dimorphic species implies rejecting the fake narrative that men and women are interchangeable. [youtube.com]

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @01:42AM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @01:42AM (#639557)

          Because Azuma is usually quite vocal about such issues, so to hear any form of critique might indeed make some heads explode.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:37AM

          by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:37AM (#639614) Journal

          I'm not a TERF. I actually have over half a dozen trans* friends, though more of them are FtM (talk about invisible...) than MtF.

          TERFs are idiots anyway; they're living examples of the Horseshoe Effect, and a corollary to it that the more virulently hateful two disparate groups at ostensibly opposite sides of the spectrum are, the more closely they'll horseshoe-up when they come to a common enemy. I seriously cannot tell most TERF arguments from most hardcore Evangelical Christian arguments, aside from less tendency to cite the Bible.

          There are differences between the sexes. There is a biological basis for *some* of gender and gender roles, but I'd argue a good deal of it is performative. The very existence of trans* people supports that hypothesis, incidentally; the "transgenders think gender is entirely made up" narrative is precisely counter to that, because if gender were really "just a social construct" (another term of abuse) there would be no driving need for people to change it, I would think.

          I also remember reading somewhere that there's a correlation between dissociative or depersonalization/derealization episodes and gender dysphoria, which would seem to support that there's something physical underpinning it. It's not something I can understand firsthand, but seeing Aaron and Kevin (previously Paige and Katherine) so much happier and more normal-feeling post-transition than before is enough to get me to accept them for who they are.

          --
          I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:38PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:38PM (#639514)

      Sounds unsafe != IS unsafe.

      Since medical professionals were involved, it seems unlikely they would have participated if it was knowingly unsafe.

      TFA mentions that only subtle long term effects are genuinely in question. And such would have to be measured on a larger scale to obtain any meaningful results.

      Science now has official sample #1.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Sunday February 18 2018, @08:44AM (1 child)

        by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Sunday February 18 2018, @08:44AM (#639657)

        "Since medical professionals were involved, it seems unlikely they would have participated if it was knowingly unsafe."

        At the risk of invoking Godwin I would point out that Dr. Josef Mengele was a "medical professional" as well.

        --
        "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:43PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:43PM (#639737)

          Correct, therefore we should always assume all doctors are evil or incompetent Nazis. Right?

          Or is it just because this procedure involves penises and breasts and is therefore somehow magically evil?

    • (Score: 2) by mrpg on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:53PM

      by mrpg (5708) Subscriber Badge <reversethis-{gro ... yos} {ta} {gprm}> on Saturday February 17 2018, @11:53PM (#639522) Homepage
      Right:

      Men have breast tissue just like women, but their breasts are less developed. Breast cancer in men is similar to the disease in women, but there are some differences. For the most part, breast cancer in men is treated like breast cancer in women who have reached menopause (when the ovaries stop making estrogen).

      Less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men. Researchers estimate that 230 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed in Canada in 2017 and that 60 men will die from the disease.

      Breast cancer in men [cancer.ca]

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Subsentient on Sunday February 18 2018, @09:18AM (1 child)

    by Subsentient (1111) on Sunday February 18 2018, @09:18AM (#639663) Homepage Journal
    I wait to see the day when they can reprogram every cell in the body to be genetically female, with no difference with a "natural" female. That will be quite interesting. I hope it comes to pass, too.

    I understand the people saying it's not natural. I agree wholeheartedly. That doesn't mean it's bad. Something I guess a lot of people never fully grasp is this:

    Nature is your enemy.

    No, I don't mean the environment or ecosystem, I mean darwinian evolution. It's correct, proven, and totally horrific. Wasteful, incredibly inefficient, and unfathomably cruel. How many hundreds of millions of years did it take humans to evolve from the first land-faring animals, and how quickly have we built machines that can calculate millions of times faster and better than our own brains?

    Mother nature is the abusive, mentally unstable crackwhore mother who beat you with steel chains every night and forced you to rape your sister at age 8. If your real mother was like that, would you still revere her and demand respect for her?

    Whatever humanity can do to vomit down the throat of natural law is progress in my view.

    Of course, we'll eventually just have to give up on biology and become machines, *eventually*.
    --
    "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 20 2018, @10:11AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 20 2018, @10:11AM (#640574)

      You sound Jewish.

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