Some women notice that they become aroused during breastfeeding. Although this sensation is similar to a sexual response, it is not sexually driven.
It's not common for most women to get aroused solely through breast stimulation in general. It's not what most people experience during breastfeeding but there is nothing wrong with the woman it happens to. It is just a physiological response to stimulus.
These pop into your brain, or you may even feel them in your body. An arousal response to breastfeeding could be a part of this as well. The worry thought or arousal by breastfeeding sensation (called a “groinal” in OCD communities if felt in the genitals) likely happened suddenly one day while breastfeeding.
You may have brief pain (10-15 seconds) at the beginning of each pumping while the collagen fibers in your nipples stretch. You may have slight tenderness of the nipple. Some women may have an uncomfortable sensation when their milk releases or "letting down" which may feel like tingling or "pins and needles."
Milk ejection
Following sucking, the release of oxytocin causes the contraction of myoepithelial cells in the breast pushing milk from the alveoli, through the milk ducts and toward the nipple. In general, it takes around a minute of infant sucking or stimulation with a breast pump before milk ejection occurs5,6.
Just like your baby's suckling action, a breast pump triggers the release of oxytocin (a feel-good hormone) in your body. Oxytocin then gives your body the signal to start releasing milk.
However, drinking breast milk is safe only if it is from your partner whom you know well. This is because breast milk is a bodily fluid, and you do not want yourself to be at risk of infectious diseases such as cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus, or syphilis.
Disadvantages of using a breast pump include: Fewer immune system benefits. Using a breast pump is preferable to formula but may not be tailored to the baby's needs at the moment. It doesn't offer the same benefits to the baby's immune system as breastfeeding does.
The stimulation from breastfeeding or pumping produces the hormone oxytocin which is also called “the love hormone.” Emotionally, it can give you a sense of happiness and connection.
This suction can cause extreme swelling leaving the nipples very enlarged at the end of pumping. For some people, the swelling retains the sharp, cylindrical shape of the nipple, resulting in an atypical shape that looks exactly like the nipple was replaced with a tater tot.
These groinal responses – including tingling, swelling, or other physical reactions – can feel like confirmation of unwanted attractions. However, we now understand that these are examples of arousal non-concordance – where our body's response does not match our actual desires or intentions.
It's also normal to be sexually interested in your partner's breasts even when they're producing milk. Plus, some people are more sensitive to breast stimulation in the postpartum phase, and they enjoy the sensation of feeding their partners.
A groinal response is a physical reaction in the genital area, often triggered by anxiety, fear, or simply hyper-focused attention—not by actual sexual arousal. Real sexual arousal, on the other hand, is a complex blend of physical, emotional, and cognitive responses driven by genuine desire.
Dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER, is a condition that affects women who breastfeed or pump milk. It causes sudden and intense negative emotions just before you “let down” or release milk. It's quick and lasts just a minute or two.
Breast pumps have multiple parts that can harbor bacteria and viruses if not cleaned properly. A used breast pump may have traces of breast milk in the tubing or other parts, which creates a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses to grow.
Squeezing or massaging the breast while pumping can be beneficial, especially if the milk flow slows down during a pumping session. Breast massage for pumping can help stimulate a let-down reflex and increase milk output.
When breastfeeding, the body releases oxytocin that relaxes you and contracts the uterus. For many, the contractions create pleasurable sensations and for some, sexual arousal. And for a small proportion this leads to orgasm (Yurtsal & Uslu, 2023).
“I feel super lucky that breastfeeding is easy for me and I produce a lot of milk — so much that I've taken over my mom's freezer with tons of milk!” she shares. The star even offers a tip for breastfeeding moms: “I use a nipple shield most of the time when I feed.
No significant differences in attachment security between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding were reported, but one study found higher levels of attachment disorganization for bottle-feeding, although mean levels were below a clinically relevant level.
“I consider mothers who can't breastfeed but can provide breast milk by continuing to pump for many months to be heroic.” Catherine Fenner, IBCLC, a longtime Seattle lactation consultant agrees with Wall. Pumping exclusively to feed a baby is “a gift for the baby who is getting their parent's milk.”
Damaged breast and nipple tissues
Breast milk pumps can be highly unpleasant if they are used without the right instructions. Such a technique may eventually cause the tissues in the breast and nipple to become damaged. Additionally, manual pumping can be exceedingly challenging and taxing.
This time-span norm is in part due to the notion that more prolonged pumping will damage breast tissue, the fact that some pumps have built-in timers that stop the pump at 30 minutes, and because babies tend to eat for about 30 minutes between both breasts.
Erotic lactation between partners or an adult nursing relationship may develop from natural breastfeeding of a baby. During the lactation period the partner starts to suckle on the female breast, and continues after the baby is weaned off. Milk production is continually stimulated and the milk flow continues.
How does breast milk taste? The flavor of breast milk varies, but it's most often described as very sweet. It contains water, fat, carbohydrates (lactose), proteins, vitamins and minerals, and amino acids. It's the lactose – which makes up about 7% of breast milk – that makes it taste like sugar.
Some bodybuilders, for example, currently buy human breast milk on the black market, erroneously believing it will help them build muscle—even though human breast milk has far less protein than cow's milk and protein is what muscle tissue is primarily made of.