Definitions for lactationlækˈteɪ ʃən
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word lactation
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
the secretion of milk.
the period of milk production.
Origin of lactation:
1660–70; < LL lactātiō the act of giving suck < lactā(re) to give suck, der. of L lac, s. lact- milk
the period following birth during which milk is secreted
"lactation normally continues until weaning"
the production and secretion of milk by the mammary glands
feeding an infant by giving suck at the breast
The secretion of milk from the mammary gland of a female mammal.
The process of providing the milk to the young; breastfeeding.
The period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young; lactation period.
a giving suck; the secretion and yielding of milk by the mammary gland
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, although it predates mammals. In humans the process of feeding milk is called breastfeeding or nursing. In most species milk comes out of the mother's nipples; however, the platypus releases milk through ducts in its abdomen. In only one species of mammal, the Dayak fruit bat, is milk production a normal male function. Galactopoiesis is the maintenance of milk production. This stage requires prolactin and oxytocin. Newborn infants often produce some witch's milk. Galactorrhea is milk production unrelated to nursing, it can occur in males and females of many mammal species as result of hormonal imbalances or unusual physiological stimuli.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
The processes of milk secretion by the maternal MAMMARY GLANDS after PARTURITION. The proliferation of the mammary glandular tissue, milk synthesis, and milk expulsion or let down are regulated by the interactions of several hormones including ESTRADIOL; PROGESTERONE; PROLACTIN; and OXYTOCIN.
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