Final answer:
A woman who stops breastfeeding may experience engorgement due to the body's continued milk production from prior demand. This is part of a neuroendocrine reflex involving prolactin and oxytocin that regulates milk synthesis and ejection.
Step-by-step explanation:
A woman who has stopped breastfeeding suddenly may experience breast engorgement and leakage, reflecting the body's continued milk production due to prior nursing demand. Lactation is a complex process initiated by the suckling of an infant, which activates sensory nerve fibers in the areola to trigger a neuroendocrine reflex. This reflex stimulates the pituitary gland to release prolactin, promoting milk synthesis in the lactocytes, and oxytocin, which then prompts myoepithelial cells around the alveoli to contract and push milk into the lactiferous ducts for the infant.
During the first days of lactation and throughout breastfeeding, the composition of breast milk changes. Initially, colostrum is produced, which is rich in immune factors, followed by a transition to mature milk that adjusts in volume and composition based on the infant's growth and demand. If breastfeeding is ceased, typically within about a week, any remaining milk is reabsorbed and lactation usually ceases if there is no further simulation of the nipples.