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Lactation suppression: Can medication help?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lactation-suppression/AN01456
- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical director of content, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for Mayo Clinic's health information site to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a practicing physician and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this website. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
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Question
Lactation suppression: Can medication help?
Is medication an option for lactation suppression immediately after childbirth?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Medications for lactation suppression pose serious safety concerns. Injections of high doses of estrogen can stop milk production, for example, but the estrogen poses a risk of life-threatening blood clots. And bromocriptine (Parlodel), a drug once used for lactation suppression, isn't generally recommended for this purpose today because it poses a risk of heart attack and stroke — especially for women who developed high blood pressure during pregnancy.
If breast-feeding isn't possible or practical, the safest way to suppress lactation after childbirth is to let milk production dry up naturally. In the meantime, avoid stimulating the breasts or expressing milk. Over-the-counter pain relievers, ice packs and a supportive bra can help relieve breast engorgement and pain — which typically peaks during the first week after delivery.
Next questionPostpartum thyroiditis: How long does it last?
- Oladapo OT, et al. Treatments for suppression of lactation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2009:CD005937.
- Spitz AM, et al. Treatment for lactation suppression: Little progress in one hundred years. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1998;179:1485.
- Poggi SB. Postpartum hemorrhage & the abnormal puerperium. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2387573. Accessed May 24, 2010.
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