BREAST MILK IN SPACE
Photo via Daily Mail
When I read that astronaut and researcher Kellie Gerardi became the first woman in history to pump breast milk in microgravity, my initial reaction was how impressed I was. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this story isn't only about space. It’s completely about women, and motherhood, and the reality that we are just scratching the surface when it comes to women’s health.
For centuries, society has assigned us women the primary role of caretaker. Homemaker. Babymaker. Women have notoriously been expected to manage households, raise the children, support the emotional and physcial needs of their husbands, while in real life, science, discovery, and professional advancement has been largely designed around men.
I will never forget when I was listening to a podcast and learned about CORTISOL, which I know now is the hot topic for women (and men, by default of having an Instagram or Tik Tok account). I learned that women naturally have higher cortisol levels upon waking up than men do. Then I learned that the work schedule of 9-5 is designed for men. They wake up, get dressed, brush their teeth (hopefully), and go to work. Well…if my biology says that 9am is not an ideal time to jump into 50 unread emails and a client call, then why must it be so? Ok yes, I know we also have to talk about the man-made 9-5 work schedule (cause news flash: that is not a real thing either), but I only have so much time to sit and write and this also is not my thesis.
Back to my point.
As women entered the workforce in greater numbers throughout the twentieth century, they proved what many had always known: women are fully capable of building careers, leading organizations, advancing science, and raising families. Yet many of the systems surrounding work, healthcare, and research failed to evolve alongside them. One of the clearest examples of this failure can be found in medical research.
For decades, women were routinely excluded from clinical studies. Researchers often viewed male bodies as the standard model for understanding human health, while hormonal fluctuations, pregnancy, and postpartum changes were considered too complicated to account for. As a result, entire fields of medicine were built on incomplete information. The consequences of this are still felt today. We continue to have significant gaps in our understanding of reproductive health, maternal health, hormonal disorders, menopause, postpartum recovery, and countless conditions that disproportionately affect women. That is why Kellie’s milestone matters so much.
At first glance, pumping breast milk in space may sound like a niche scientific achievement. But in reality, it represents something much larger. It signals a shift toward recognizing that women's experiences, bodies, and biological processes not only deserve to be studied, understood, and included, but that it is crucial for human advancement.
Breastfeeding itself is an incredibly complex biological process. Breast milk is not static. It changes in response to a mother's environment, stress levels, immune system, and the needs of her child. Studying how the body adapts under extreme conditions such as microgravity can provide insights that extend far beyond space travel.
Historically, some of our greatest advances in human health have emerged from research conducted in extreme environments. Space research has improved our understanding of bone density, cardiovascular health, muscle loss, and immune function. Expanding that research to include female physiology helps create a more complete picture of human health overall. But perhaps the most powerful aspect of this story is what it says about identity. For generations, women have been presented with a false choice: career or motherhood. Ambition or caregiving. Professional achievement or family life. Yet women have always existed beyond these categories. A scientist does not stop being a scientist when she becomes a mother. A mother does not become less committed to her children because she pursues her career.
The reality is that women have always carried multiple identities at once. The difference today is that more women are refusing to hide parts of themselves in order to fit antiquated expectations. Seeing a mother conduct groundbreaking research while simultaneously contributing to our understanding of lactation and women's health sends a powerful message. It challenges the idea that motherhood limits possibility. Instead, it demonstrates that motherhood can coexist with innovation, leadership, and exploration. This milestone also raises the important question…what other discoveries are waiting for us when women are fully represented in research?
