Induced Lactation in a Mother Through Surrogacy With Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS).

Abstract

Breastfeeding offers the optimal feeding option for newborns in terms of nutritional content and reinforces mother-infant bonding. As a physiological process intrinsically linked to parturition, breastfeeding is no longer reserved for puerperal mothers. Progress in understanding the intricacies of lactogenesis and breastfeeding has further paved the way for artificially induced lactation in recent years. We describe the case of a mother through surrogacy with XY karyotype and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome who wished to breastfeed her child. Through a combination of estrogen therapy, galactagogues, and mechanical breast stimulation she was able to partially breastfeed her child for one month. This case further shifts the concept that breastfeeding is a physiological process confined to only puerperal mothers and offers an opportunity to a wider group of nontraditional mothers to take part in the unique experience of breastfeeding.