Bone Mineral Density Changes in Lactating Adolescent Mothers During the First Postpartum Year

Abstract

At 1 year postpartum, adolescent mothers exhibited BMD similar to those of nulliparous adolescents. This result is likely attributable to the breastfeeding practices adopted by mothers during late adolescence.

Comparison of Measurements of Bone Mineral Density in Young and Middle-Aged Adult Women in Relation to Dietary, Anthropometric and Reproductive Variables

“…Participants were recruited from a 12-month, prospective longitudinal study conducted 12 years ago that assessed variations in the BMD of adolescents in relation to breastfeeding. That work involved 67 women divided into four groups: Adolescent mothers; nulliparous adolescents; adult mothers; and nulliparous adult women [ 11 ]. The present study included apparently healthy, non-pregnant women from that original project.…”

“…Of the total number of participants in the first study [ 11 ], seven could not be enrolled in this work because they had changed their residence, two were pregnant, 9 could not be located, and 9 were not interested. Thus, the present sample consists of 40 women, of whom 15 were adolescents (7 mothers, 8 nulliparous) and 25 were adults (17 mothers, 8 nulliparous) 12 years ago.…”

“…Additionally, when comparing changes in whole-body BMD in adolescent mothers during the first postpartum year to nulliparous adolescents, values were similar despite the observed decrease of BMD at three months postpartum in the adolescent mothers (−0.56%) and the increase in nulliparous women (0.77%). The loss of BMD observed in the adolescent mothers was associated with the number of breast feedings and changes in BMI [ 11 ].…”

Changes in Bone Mineral Density and Serum Lipids across the First Postpartum Year: Effect of Aerobic Fitness and Physical Activity

“…In longitudinal studies with mostly young, healthy, Caucasian mothers, BMD was shown to decrease ~2 to 7.5% during the first 4–6 months of lactation in the lumbar spine and/or hip [ 2 , 3 , 13 , 16 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], 0 to 5% in the forearm radius [ 13 , 16 , 19 , 22 , 24 ], and 0 to 3% of the total body BMD [ 2 , 3 , 13 , 18 , 19 , 24 ]. Although most BMD loss within the first 6 months has been observed to approach complete recovery following weaning [ 2 , 22 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ], some studies have found that lactation past 6 months is associated with only partial recovery [ 1 , 16 , 19 , 20 , 31 ], which suggests that extended lactation can delay the return of BMD to baseline levels. As a result, limited research has focused on the impact of exercise on lactation-related bone loss, with several studies supporting an association between exercise and reduced bone loss [ 32 , 33 , 34 ] and others reporting no significant difference [ 17 , 20 , 35 ].…”