{"id":5246,"date":"2025-07-14T10:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=5246"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:36:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:36:05","slug":"prolactin-helps-pregnant-mothers-regulate-body-temperature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=5246","title":{"rendered":"Prolactin Helps Pregnant Mothers Regulate Body Temperature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A recent study by the University of Otago has uncovered a new role for the hormone prolactin: regulating body temperature during pregnancy. Published in&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.celrep.2025.115567\"><em>Cell Reports<\/em><\/a>, the research highlights how prolactin acts in the brain\u2019s hypothalamus to ensure both&nbsp;mother and baby remain healthy by preventing overheating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study, led by Dr. Rosie Brown from the Department of Physiology, explains that pregnancy places significant thermal demands on the body. Early stages see a rise in core temperature due to hormonal changes, while later stages involve increased metabolic heat from fetal growth and higher food intake. Despite these challenges, body temperature decreases in late pregnancy, a phenomenon now linked to prolactin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Brown notes,&nbsp;<em>\u201cProlactin helps mothers stay cool, which is vital for fetal safety, as hyperthermia can harm brain development.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;The hormone\u2019s ability to promote heat loss ensures a safer environment for the developing baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond deepening our understanding of pregnancy, the findings may have broader implications. Dr. Brown suggests that the prolactin pathway could help mammals adapt to rising global temperatures, offering insights into reproductive resilience in a warming climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This study sheds light on the intricate hormonal adjustments during pregnancy, emphasizing prolactin\u2019s role in maternal and fetal health. Future research could explore how this mechanism supports survival in other mammals facing environmental challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent study by the University of Otago has uncovered a new role for the hormone prolactin: regulating body temperature during pregnancy. Published in&nbsp;Cell Reports, the research highlights how prolactin acts in the brain\u2019s hypothalamus to ensure both&nbsp;mother and baby remain healthy by preventing overheating. The study, led by Dr. Rosie Brown from the Department [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1367],"tags":[1368,2719],"class_list":["post-5246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biology","tag-biology","tag-body-temperature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5246"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5248,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246\/revisions\/5248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}