About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffMastitis treatment usually involves:
- Antibiotics. Treating mastitis usually requires a 10- to 14-day course of antibiotics. You may feel well again 24 to 48 hours after starting antibiotics, but it's important to take the entire course of medication to minimize your chance of recurrence.
- Self-care remedies. Resting, continuing breast-feeding and drinking extra fluids can help your body overcome the breast infection. Empty the milk from your affected breast frequently. If your baby refuses to nurse on the affected breast, use a breast pump or hand express the milk to empty your breast.
- Adjustments to your breast-feeding technique. Making sure that you fully empty your breasts during breast-feeding and that your infant latches on correctly are key to avoiding bouts of mastitis. Your doctor may review your breast-feeding technique with you or may refer you to a lactation consultant for help and ongoing support.
If your mastitis doesn't clear up after taking antibiotics, check back with your doctor. A rare form of breast cancer — inflammatory breast cancer — can also cause redness and swelling that could initially be confused with mastitis. Your doctor may recommend a diagnostic mammogram, and you may need a biopsy to make sure you don't have breast cancer.
- Non-cancerous breast conditions. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6X_Non_Cancerous_Breast_Conditions_59.asp. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Dixon MJ. Lactational mastitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Spencer JP. Management of mastitis in breastfeeding women. American Family Physician. 2008;78:727.
- Walker M. Conquering common breast-feeding problems. Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing. 2008;22:267.
- Breastfeeding: Common concerns. National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/concerns/. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- FAQ on mastitis. La Leche League International. http://www.llli.org/FAQ/mastitis.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Dixon MJ. Inflammatory disorders of the breast. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on