Molly Kaissar

You can find our full study here💗: authors.elsevier.com/c/1m4RM54GVt...

@jmccardiology.bsky.social @cardioob.bsky.social

Moving forward, we should:
💗investigate how the heart changes after lactation ends
💗explore the relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum cardiac recovery in humans
💗report lactation status in future murine postpartum studies

Our model suggested that biological stimuli like hormones drive heart growth in early lactation, but hemodynamic loading sustains growth later on

Our model also suggested that both hormonal and hemodynamic unloading are required for heart growth reversal after pregnancy

We then used computational multiscale modeling to uncover how biological and mechanical cues work together to drive these cardiac adaptations.

We found that pregnancy-induced heart group reversed after delivery, but only in our non-lactating mice. Instead, we saw SIGNIFICANT HEART GROWTH in our lactating mice! 🤱🏻💗

In our most recent study, Kyoko Yoshida and I collaborated with
Elnaz Gajar-Rahimi and Craig Goergen to characterize postpartum changes in heart size, shape, and function in both lactating and non-lactating mice using four-dimensional cardiac ultrasound (4DUS)

Pregnancy places extraordinary demands on the cardiovascular system. Working smarter, not harder, the heart grows to support these increased demands. But what happens after delivery? What if you're breastfeeding? What if you're not? 🧵