# So it looks like my DD has a linea negra...?



## jenkuh (Mar 31, 2006)

Seriously, it is noticeable. Do you know what this is from - like does it mean she's deficient in something?


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## earthgirl (Feb 6, 2006)

I heard/ read of this once before. In that case, the mom had been giving her DD soy protein shakes and then noticed it. I have no idea what the rest of the story was, or if it turned out to be anything serious. I also don't know if it went away after eliminating soy. So I guess I'm not that helpful w/ this issue, just thought I'd bring it up since it's the only other time I've heard of this.

Oh, and I'm not trying to start a soy debate here. I honestly don't feel strongly about the soy issue and I'm certainly not saying it causes problems. It just _might_ be something to consider.


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## jenkuh (Mar 31, 2006)

haha - that's okay! We don't do any soy so no debate here, but that's interesting. Any other takes?


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## readytobedone (Apr 6, 2007)

mine has one, too. we don't do a lot of soy by any means. i was actually meaning to ask her doc about it at our next appointment...

does anyone know what causes it?


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

I just noticed that on my dd too! How funny that this thread popped up right as I was thinking about it! Hers is really faint, but there's definitely a line there. I'd love to know if anyone has an explanation. Not a lot of soy here, either. (although she can INHALE tofu pups--just not frequently.)


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## spectrum42 (Dec 19, 2006)

This site has a little bit about what causes it, during pregnancy at least. It mentions folic acid near the bottom, so perhaps that could be deficient?


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

I just found this: http://www.pcc.com/lists/pedtalk.arc...706/00040.html and this: http://www.pcc.com/lists/pedtalk.arc...706/00076.html. The response there sounds a little over-the-top to me, but that dr. seems to think it's hormonal. I'm guessing there are probably other reasons, because dd doesn't eat anything with hormones, really (local raw milk, we raise our own chickens for eggs and meat, we get beef from local organic farms, etc). Also, my dd is tiny, so I'm not concerned about maturing too rapidly!


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## SweetPotato (Apr 29, 2006)

My 2.5 yo has it too-- I've just assumed that it was from my hormones she gets through breastfeeding. Not terribly concerned here.


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## MusicianDad (Jun 24, 2008)

I've heard folic acid, hormones and insulin can cause it.


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

I had a slight one even as a child. I don't think we ate much soy at all, I've never been sure what caused it. I'm pretty healthy, overall.


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

I'm curious--are those kids you've seen with it kids with darker skin/hair? I could understand something like that being more visible on a person with darker body hair. DD is very fair and blonde.

When I noticed it the other day I just thought, "hmmm...that's interesting" and promptly forgot for the rest of the day. But now that this thread came up, I'm wondering more! Not that I'm concerned or have any desire to do anything in regards to it; more of a curiosity thing, I guess.


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## jenkuh (Mar 31, 2006)

blond hair, fair skin over here! Since hormones were brought up I'm beginning to be suspect of that. She has vaginal adhesion (which is a hormonal thing) and (before I knew better) I gave her premarin (an estrogen cream) that the doctor prescribed when she was teeny tiny. Also, before I knew better, my diet during pregnancy wasn't organic at all and I craved that hormone filled past./hom. milk like crazy. She also ended up having about a weeks worth of soy formula when she was an infant because I wasn't able to pump enough before a surgery I had to have. Looking back on it... lots of hormonal things - though it's hard to say since that's all I know about it so far. I wonder what that means, or what or if there's anything to even be done about it if one were to assume that it was indeed hormonal? hmm...


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## M&MsMom (Apr 14, 2008)

My 17 month DD is 1/4 hispanic and olive-skinned. I noticed the linea negra in the last 4 months, although it might have been there earlier. I read an article about skin lesions in Florida children that discovered the following:

Linea *****, a brown streak running from the umbili-cus to the pubes, was observed in 51.8% of Black newborns and 5.0% of Caucasian newborns. This difference is statistically significant. There is a very little known of the nature of this pigmentary change. It has been postulated to be a response to the maternal and placental hormones that enter the fetal circulation. Among these hormones, estrogen and progesterone have been reported to exert a melanocyte-stimulating effect which also cause darkening of linea alba in pregnant women.

I am breastfeeding, she eats very little soy, and mostly organic meats, milk and eggs. She is also tiny for her age (20 lbs at 17 months), so I wonder if there could be an endocrine explanation/problem? I did not get the linea negra while pregnant and I'm darker skinned than DD.

I worry that many environmental toxins out there mimic estrogen, so maybe that's to blame??


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## MaterPrimaePuellae (Oct 30, 2007)

Do you use any creams with lavender oil? I can't find a source for this now, but I read once that it's not a great idea to use lots of lavender on little boys because it acts like an estrogen (some little boys were having breast development and they traced it to a soap, or something like that....) I used some lavender cream on my daughter's labial adhesions, and they went away in a couple of weeks. No linea negra, though (I barely had one myself during pregnancy).


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## bc1995 (Mar 22, 2004)

Blond hair, fair skin here and I have had one since I was a child. Mine does get darker with pregnancy and lightens back to how it has always been pp.


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