Ace the Certified Lactation Consultant Exam 2025 – Nurture Your Career with Confidence!

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What happens to progesterone levels at the onset of lactogenesis?

They increase to support milk production

They plateau to stabilize milk composition

They decrease to allow prolactin to act

At the onset of lactogenesis, progesterone levels decrease to allow prolactin to act effectively. Lactogenesis is the process of milk production that occurs after childbirth, and it is divided into two stages. During the later stages of pregnancy, progesterone levels are high, which helps to prepare the mammary glands for milk production, but these elevated levels also inhibit lactation until after delivery.

Once the placenta is expelled, progesterone levels drop significantly. This reduction is essential because it removes the inhibitory effect of progesterone on prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk synthesis. Prolactin's actions become predominant, facilitating the transition to actual milk production. Thus, the decrease in progesterone is a critical component for initiating lactation, allowing the breast tissue to respond actively to the stimulus provided by prolactin.

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They become irrelevant to the process

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