• Perceived or real low milk production is a primary reason for undesired breastfeeding cessation.
• Stress involving cortisol dysregulation decreases milk production. Synthetic glucocorticoids administered during lactation transiently suppress milk production.
• ⍺-lactalbumin is a protein required for lactose synthesis.
• Glucocorticoids biphasically regulate ⍺-lactalbumin gene expression in culture.
• The mechanism by which endogenous or exogenous glucocorticoids affect milk production is not defined.
