{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T06:52:50Z","timestamp":1788850370437,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,29]],"date-time":"2024-02-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1709164800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To estimate the proportions of anatomical breast characteristics suggestive of breast hypoplasia among breastfeeding women self-reporting low milk supply. We also explored breast hypoplasia risk factors.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Online survey conducted between October 2021 and January 2022.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Five<\/jats:bold> low milk supply Facebook groups.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>487 women reporting low milk supply with their first child born \u2265 37 weeks gestation within 5 years of participation in this study, and residing in the USA, Australia or the UK. We present data on the primary outcome (\u2018breast type\u2019) for 399 women. Women were excluded if the dyad was separated for more than 24 hours during the hospital stay, or if the mother reported removing milk less than 6 times per day from each breast on most days before being aware of having insufficient milk production.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n<jats:title>Primary and secondary outcome measures<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The proportions of proposed breast hypoplasia markers including atypical breast type, widely spaced breasts, breast asymmetry, stretch marks on the breast and lack of pregnancy breast growth. We also estimated the odds of having breast hypoplasia markers in at-risk groups compared to reference groups, adjusting for covariates.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec006\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Approximately 68% reported at least one atypical breast (270\/399; 95% CI: 62.9%, 72.1%). Around 47% reported widely spaced breasts (212\/449; 95% CI: 42.7%, 52.7%), 72% a lack of pregnancy breast growth (322\/449; 95% CI: 68.3%, 77.4%), and 76% stretch marks on the breast (191\/250; 95% CI: 70.7%, 81.3%). Multiple logistic regression analyses identified being overweight during pubertal years as a risk factor for atypical breast type and lack of pregnancy breast growth.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec007\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Participants in low milk supply Facebook groups reported high rates of breast hypoplasia markers. Being overweight during adolescence was a risk factor for breast hypoplasia markers. These findings should be confirmed in well-conducted large cohort studies to determine the strongest combination of hypoplasia markers in predicting low supply.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0299642","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,29]],"date-time":"2024-02-29T18:29:43Z","timestamp":1709231383000},"page":"e0299642","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Breast hypoplasia markers among women who report insufficient milk production: A retrospective online survey"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2547-2085","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Renee L.","family":"Kam","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa H.","family":"Amir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meabh","family":"Cullinane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jenny","family":"Ingram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xia","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laurie A.","family":"Nommsen-Rivers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,29]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0299642.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e865","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2013-0724","article-title":"Breastfeeding concerns at 3 and 7 days postpartum and feeding status at 2 months","volume":"132","author":"EA Wagner","year":"2013","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0299642.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"404","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2013.4506","article-title":"Prevalence and risk factors for early, undesired weaning attributed to lactation dysfunction.","volume":"23","author":"AM Stuebe","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Womens Health."},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0299642.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1428","DOI":"10.1038\/ejcn.2016.157","article-title":"Why do women stop breast-feeding? 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