Dysphoric milk ejection reflex

Dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) is a condition in which women who breastfeed develop negative emotions that begin just before the milk ejection reflex and last less than a few minutes.^[2] It is different from postpartum depression, breastfeeding aversion response (BAR),^[1] or a dislike of breastfeeding.^[2] It has been described anecdotally many times,^[2] yet one of the earliest case studies on the condition was only published in 2011,^[3] and not much research was done prior to that. Even in 2021 when the first review of published literature was done the authors noted that health care providers were still "barely [able to] recognize D-MER."^[4]

The feelings described may also occur in women who are not currently, or never have been, breastfeeding. In these cases, stimulation of the nipples produces a similar, dysphoric feeling as described by women with a condition identified as D-MER. A link between local dopamine blockage and the precise location of AMPA-glutamate blockage in the nucleus accumbens,^[5] and the subsequent experience of stimuli as negative or positive has been researched but not confirmed as the cause of D-MER and related conditions.