Abstract
Our aims were to investigate the presence of pituitary glycoprotein hormones in preterm and donor milk, and to examine the effects of Holder pasteurization and refrigeration on the levels of these hormones. We measured follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in milk samples from mothers who delivered prematurely (n = 27) and in samples of mothers who delivered at term and donated milk to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa (n = 30). The gonadotropins and TSH were present in similar amounts within human milk produced for preterm and term infants. FSH increased 21% after refrigeration (p < 0.05), while LH declined by 39% (p < 0.05). Holder pasteurization decreased LH by 24% (p < 0.05) and increased TSH by 17% (p < 0.05). Holder pasteurization followed by refrigeration resulted in a 21% increase in FSH and a 41% decrease in LH (both p < 0.05), resulting in more than a 3-fold increase in donor milk FSH:LH ratios (p < 0.05 versus fresh donor milk). Despite structural similarities, the gonadotropins are differentially impacted by Holder pasteurization and refrigeration, and this results in marked alterations in the relative amount of FSH and LH that may be administered to preterm infants, potentially swinging hormonal balance towards ovarian hyperstimulation in females and hypogonadism in males.
Highlights
Human milk is a biologically active fluid that contains hormones with diverse effects on the human infant
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were present in almost the same amounts in preterm and donor milk samples
The median value of FSH in the preterm milk samples was 180 mIU/L, which did not differ significantly from the values detected in the term donor milk (178 mIU/L, IQR 136–241 mIU/L)
Summary
Human milk is a biologically active fluid that contains hormones with diverse effects on the human infant. Breast milk is the exclusive hormonal link between mother and infant. Due to the disruption in pregnancy, preterm infants are exposed more briefly to maternal hormones than term infants are. For those who were born prematurely, hormones from maternal breast milk may play an important role in development. It is known that early breast milk exposure after preterm birth is associated with improved structural connectivity of developing neural networks in the brain [1]. Endocrinological programming is influenced by the maternal hormones transferred to the offspring. Human milk contains a variety of hormones [2], but the levels of pituitary hormones in breast milk have not been examined
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