Hi Beth,
I'm 32 as well! I'm a mom of a 16-month-old. I had bad MC symptoms all the way through my pregnancy but enjoyed great digestion while breastfeeding. I would've kept it up had I known that's what was keeping my symptoms at bay.
I'm glad you are feeling better. I'm holding off on baby #2 until I feel better, which could take years.
Best wishes to you,
Magyar
Getting off of entocort
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Magyar,
Just thinking out loud here, but that's a very interesting observation, (about the preemption of digestive system problems, during lactation). The two main hormones connected with lactation, are prolactin and oxytocin. Basically, prolactin triggers milk production, and oxytocin allows "milk let down".
It appears that the hormone prolactin may be the one which causes the protective effect on the digestive system, that you experienced. I found this in the literature, regarding the other effects of prolactin, (other than triggering milk production):
Other hormones necessary for the production of breast milk include: insulin, cortisol, thyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, and human growth hormone, but those are always present, so I doubt that one of them would be the key.
There's also a recently discovered hormone, known as "Fil", (Feedback inhibitor of lactation), which evidently plays an important role in the regulation of milk supply, based on usage, but that one doesn't appear to be the one we are looking for, either, since it acts as a regulator, rather than a switch.
The quote above comes from this site:
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pa ... actin.html
It's unlikely that anyone will ever come up with a treatment for colitis, based on this, but stranger things have happened, and apparently there is some research being conducted on the immune cell effects of prolactin. Unfortunately, the side effects of overproduction of prolactin are not particularly desirable, (especially in men), which may severely limit the appeal of a treatment based on the use of prolactin.
Tex
Just thinking out loud here, but that's a very interesting observation, (about the preemption of digestive system problems, during lactation). The two main hormones connected with lactation, are prolactin and oxytocin. Basically, prolactin triggers milk production, and oxytocin allows "milk let down".
It appears that the hormone prolactin may be the one which causes the protective effect on the digestive system, that you experienced. I found this in the literature, regarding the other effects of prolactin, (other than triggering milk production):
Intuitively, I doubt that a hormone that allows, (triggers), "milk let down", would diminish diarrhea, so I don't believe that oxytocin, is the hormone that we are looking for, here. It would be easy to check out, though, since there is an injectible synthetic version of oxytocin, (Pitocin), available.Effects on Immune Function
The prolactin receptor is widely expressed by immune cells, and some types of lymphocytes synthesize and secrete prolactin. These observations suggest that prolactin may act as an autocrine or paracrine modulator of immune activity. Interestingly, mice with homozygous deletions of the prolactin gene fail to show significant abnormalities in immune responses.
A considerable amount of research is in progress to delineate the role of prolactin in normal and pathologic immune responses. It appears that prolactin has a modulatory role in several aspects of immune function, but is not strictly required for these responses.
Other hormones necessary for the production of breast milk include: insulin, cortisol, thyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, and human growth hormone, but those are always present, so I doubt that one of them would be the key.
There's also a recently discovered hormone, known as "Fil", (Feedback inhibitor of lactation), which evidently plays an important role in the regulation of milk supply, based on usage, but that one doesn't appear to be the one we are looking for, either, since it acts as a regulator, rather than a switch.
The quote above comes from this site:
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pa ... actin.html
It's unlikely that anyone will ever come up with a treatment for colitis, based on this, but stranger things have happened, and apparently there is some research being conducted on the immune cell effects of prolactin. Unfortunately, the side effects of overproduction of prolactin are not particularly desirable, (especially in men), which may severely limit the appeal of a treatment based on the use of prolactin.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Tex,
Thanks for the info. That's very interesting re: prolactin. I didn' know about its effect on the immune system. My theory was that because the menstrual cycle lies dormat during lactation, it can't cause digestive upset if you have intestinal endometriosis. Not sure if this is true, but I'm going to see a doctor next week about it. I'll let everyone know if I learn anything helpful.
Thanks,
Magyar
Thanks for the info. That's very interesting re: prolactin. I didn' know about its effect on the immune system. My theory was that because the menstrual cycle lies dormat during lactation, it can't cause digestive upset if you have intestinal endometriosis. Not sure if this is true, but I'm going to see a doctor next week about it. I'll let everyone know if I learn anything helpful.
Thanks,
Magyar
Celiac (gluten-free since 2000), Lymphocytic colitis since 2000.
Magyar,
After thinking about it a bit, I like your theory a lot better than mine. I think you're definitely on to something.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Endometriosis ... g&id=27061
It will be interesting to see what your doctor says about that, assuming that she/he is acquainted well enough with the issue to have an expert opinion on it.
Tex
After thinking about it a bit, I like your theory a lot better than mine. I think you're definitely on to something.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Endometriosis ... g&id=27061
It will be interesting to see what your doctor says about that, assuming that she/he is acquainted well enough with the issue to have an expert opinion on it.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex,
Thanks for sending that article. Maybe the theory holds true. I will definitely bring it up to the doctor. Endometriosis is not easy to get rid of, though. So, I'm still modifying my diet and trying supplements. So far, Digestive Advantage, a probiotic, seems to help quite a bit.
Thanks again,
Magyar
Thanks for sending that article. Maybe the theory holds true. I will definitely bring it up to the doctor. Endometriosis is not easy to get rid of, though. So, I'm still modifying my diet and trying supplements. So far, Digestive Advantage, a probiotic, seems to help quite a bit.
Thanks again,
Magyar
Celiac (gluten-free since 2000), Lymphocytic colitis since 2000.