New Fathers Can Promote Gender Equity By Contributing To Breast Feeding - Page 2
While Robert feels “closer than ever” to Judith, his new breasts have sparked a family rivalry. “My breasts will never be as beautiful as Judith’s, but they are getting big,” he said. He describes his first drop of milk he produced as the “second proudest moment of my life” behind only the birth of his son, Graham.
Currently, couples like the Goldsmiths and the Hymans are pioneers. Many doctors are hesitant to prescribe female hormones to new fathers because the long-term side effects have not been fully studied. Hopefully, this will change soon.
Professor of obstetrics and gynecology Margaret Hood-Winkler, MD, PhD at University of Michigan School of Medicine is conducting a study on the effects of hormone therapy on fathers. “We want to find out if the male breasts go away after therapy, how quickly they do so and by how much,” she said. The hormone therapy is similar to the oestrogen and progesterone therapy administered to the sex reassignment patients. Although in its early stages, Winkler is optimistic. “Even if the subjects get to keep their breasts, there should be no harm in this,” she said.
“If men can help, they should… period.”
Santa Marino professor of sociology and gender equity expert Maxine Wielding, MSW, said that men have a moral duty to their spouse’s to share in breast feeding. “If men can help, they should… period,” she said. Since oestrogen and progesterone are inexpensive and available, Wielding supports laws that would require health insurance companies to pay for treatment. “Any man that is not man enough to breast feed his own child does not deserve a woman or child in his life,” she said.
By the year 2050 a full 50-percent of men will share breast feeding duties with their partners, according to Prof. Wielding’s projections.
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