Treatment for lactation suppression: little progress in one hundred years

Our goal was to characterize the postpartum symptoms experienced by women who do not breast-feed and to review data on the efficacy of nonpharmacologic methods of lactation suppression. The placebo arms of randomized clinical trials of pharmacologic methods for lactation suppression were used to characterize postpartum symptoms. A subset of the placebo arms was reviewed to assess current strategies for treatment of symptoms associated with lactation suppression. Studies of nonpharmacologic methods of lactation suppression were also reviewed to assess efficacy. Engorgement and breast pain may encompass most of the first postpartum week. Up to one third of women who do not breast-feed and who use a brassiere or binder, ice packs, or analgesics may experience severe breast pain. Specific studies of nonpharmacologic methods of lactation suppression were limited and inconclusive. Available data suggest that many women using currently recommended strategies for treatment of symptoms may nevertheless experience engorgement or pain for most of the first postpartum week.