Studies on metoclopramide (MCP) loading test during pregnancy and puerperium for the evaluation of lactating capacity

: To evaluate the correlation between prolactin (PRL) secreting capacity and puerperal lactation, 66 women who had delivered normally without any complications during pregnancy were studied. They were divided into two groups depending on the lactating state a month after the delivery: The breast feeding group (group A, 40 cases), and the supplementary feeding group (group B, 26 cases), respectively. 10 mg of metoclopramide (MCP) loading was carried out in the 36th week of gestation and in the third day of the puerperium, and serum levels of PRL (at 0, 30, 60 min. after the MCP loading) were measured by RIA. Serum levels of insulin, glucose, triglyceride, free fatty acid, cholesterol and lipoproteins were also examined. There was no significant change in the serum levels of the various, substances during pregnancy and puerperium. Also, no significant change could be seen in the MCP loading test in the 36th week of gestation. However, on the third day of puerperium, serum PRL after 30 min. of the MCP loading showed a significant increase in group B compared with group A (587.1 +/- 202.9 vs. 431.2 +/- 196.6 ng/ml, p less than 0.02, mean +/- standard deviation). These results suggested that the MCP loading test during the early stage of puerperium might be an important index to use in determining whether the mother was ready to breast feed.