Can a woman who is not breastfeeding have mastitis? Why does this disease occur, how to prevent it, what are the prevention and treatment measures? Many are sure that this misfortune occurs only during lactation and is a consequence of lactostasis - stagnation of milk in the mammary gland. But no. Mastitis also occurs in non-lactating mothers, and it is called non-lactational mastitis.

The cause of its occurrence is the same pathogenic microorganisms. Most often Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus. They live in the body of all living beings, but under certain conditions their numbers increase and the inflammatory process begins. The causes of mastitis in non-breastfeeding women include hormonal imbalance, breast diseases, including fibrocystic mastopathy, poorly performed plastic surgery, and acute infectious diseases. Often breast mastitis in a non-breastfeeding woman begins as a result of the penetration of an infectious pathogen into the breast tissue through a puncture of the nipple, that is, during piercing. Too rough sexual games, in which the partner touches the nipples with his teeth, can also cause mastitis in nulliparous girls, especially if they cannot boast of good immunity. A furuncle (purulent pimple) in the nipple area is another entry point for infection. And the causes of mastitis in nursing mothers are not so extensive. Usually this is advanced lactostasis, when a woman’s milk stagnates in a certain area of ​​the mammary gland, the baby cannot absorb this lactostasis, and the woman cannot express it. After a few days, an infection penetrates there, milk is a breeding ground for pathogens, and an acute inflammatory process begins.

Although the causes of mastitis in nursing and non-breastfeeding women are different, the ways of diagnosing the disease and methods of treating it are the same. First, medicinal pathogens are killed by antibacterial agents (for example, Dicloxacillin, Cephalexin, Augmentin, Clindamycin). With advanced processes, treatment of mastitis in a non-breastfeeding woman comes down to opening the purulent cavity and cleansing it, and sometimes even removing part of the mammary gland. Naturally, this intervention may subsequently negatively affect lactation. And relapses of mastitis often occur. To get off easier and prevent complications, you need to know the signs of mastitis in non-breastfeeding women and consult a doctor in a timely manner. So, the first sign is a painful area of ​​the mammary gland. With mastopathy, or cyclic engorgement of the mammary glands, the pain is dispersed, and if the breasts become engorged, it is entirely and not so clearly. With mastopathy, the skin of the breast does not turn red and the body temperature does not rise. These are usually the only symptoms mastitis has in non-breastfeeding women.

What to do? You need to be examined, but an experienced doctor will immediately understand what’s going on. The diagnosis can be confirmed using an ultrasound examination and analysis of nipple discharge. By the way, based on this analysis, it is possible to select suitable antibiotics for mastitis in non-lactating women. Until this moment, if a woman does not have problems with the intestines and stomach, it is possible to get rid of pain. To do this, you should use painkillers with an anti-inflammatory effect, for example, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Ketoprofen. These are the active ingredients that are included in the drug. Commercial names of drugs may be different, for example, “Nurofen”, “Nalgesin”, “Ketonal”. But taking these drugs is not a way to treat mastitis in non-breastfeeding women, only one of the components. Even if your pain has subsided after taking the drug, this is not a reason not to go to the doctor. And long-term uncontrolled use of painkillers is fraught with serious consequences for health.

It is also better not to use folk remedies before visiting a doctor. After all, if you really have mastitis, then some of the known methods may be contraindicated for you. For example, you should not use warm compresses for mastitis.

Infected mastitis in a non-breastfeeding woman always has clear symptoms and specific signs identified by ultrasound. If the doctor noted during an ultrasound examination that an abscess has already formed in your chest - a purulent cavity, then you will need to at least take antibiotics. Exclusively antibacterial treatment is allowed for abscess sizes up to 3 cm. If more than 3 cm, surgical intervention cannot be avoided.

These are the types of problems that can arise even in a nulliparous woman. Well, the best prevention of mastitis in lactating and non-breastfeeding women is maintaining personal hygiene, avoiding nipple injuries, and timely treatment of acute infectious diseases.

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A nursing mother's temperature has risen, her breasts have become engorged and stone-like? It might be mastitis! It is useful for women who are breastfeeding to know how to prevent and recognize mastitis in a nursing mother, what are the symptoms and treatment of this disease.

Causes of the disease

Lactation mastitis is a disease that appears in women who have recently given birth or when breastfeeding stops. Causes of the disease:

• stagnation of milk (lactostasis);
• untreated or chronic diseases: sinusitis, sore throat, caries;
• hypothermia, lack of rest (contribute to the awakening of infections dormant in the body);
• cracked nipples;
• neglect of the rules of breast skin care.

In the first time after the birth of a child, a nursing mother produces much more milk than the baby can suck. Swelling blocks one or more gland ducts.

This is how lactostasis begins. It is important for women to know how to avoid mastitis, because both mother and child will suffer from the disease while breastfeeding.

Symptoms and development of the disease

If you do not take active measures to eliminate lactostasis, serous mastitis begins; in a nursing mother, the symptoms of the disease are as follows:

• Temperature rises to 38° and above.
• Symptom of density, heaviness, soreness of the breast.
• Difficult milk flow. Sometimes the baby cannot suck a drop.
• Diseased and healthy breasts have different sizes.
• There may be redness of the entire mammary gland or some part of it.

Serous mastitis quickly progresses to the next stage, interstitial. The symptoms of the disease intensify, the breastfeeding breast fills even more and becomes stone-like. The temperature rises and can reach 39°. The woman feels weak, has pain in her joints, and is shivering.

At this stage of mastitis during breastfeeding, the symptoms of fullness and soreness worsen, and the baby may refuse to suckle. It is difficult for a nursing mother to express even a little milk, or it does not work out at all.

In the absence of adequate treatment, interstitial mastitis becomes purulent within 48 hours, which requires hospitalization and surgical intervention. This stage of the disease has severe symptoms:

• the temperature rises to 40°, can rise sharply and fall sharply;
• chest is stone, painful;
• redness of the skin over areas of inflammation;
• symptoms of intoxication: feeling unwell, fever, chills, increased sweating, thirst;
• there may be discharge of pus from the mammary gland;
• Symptoms may also appear in the second breast.

Purulent mastitis that develops during breastfeeding is a life-threatening condition. If there are any signs of this, you should seek medical help.

Don't harm yourself: what not to do if you suspect mastitis

You cannot self-medicate. If fever and inflammation in the chest persist for more than 3 days, without signs of improvement, you need to go for an ultrasound.

There is no need to put much pressure on the breasts - squeeze them, knead them, rub them with a hard washcloth or rough cloth. This can lead to swelling and worsening of the problem. A breastfeeding specialist or doctor can provide a special massage to a nursing mother.

In case of inflammation of the mammary gland, thermal exposure is contraindicated. No hot baths or heating pads. Bath and shower, as well as compresses, should be at body temperature.

Limiting yourself in liquid (supposedly this reduces the volume of milk in a nursing mother) is not only useless, but also harmful. This will not reduce the amount of milk, but the symptoms will only intensify.

Feeding a child is not only possible, but also necessary. Signs of mastitis and lactostasis are smoothed out or completely disappear with proper breastfeeding.

How to cure mastitis?

If mastitis is suspected in a nursing mother, the doctor will prescribe a blood test that will show the presence and nature of inflammation.

Ultrasound is also used for diagnosis. The milk is immediately taken for culture - if there is a bacterial infection, the pathogen will be identified and the most effective antibiotic can be selected.

Treatment depends on the severity of the disease. For symptoms of the serous and interstitial stage, a special massage is prescribed, which the doctor will show the patient. They may also prescribe physical procedures - magnetic therapy, ultrasound.

If a nursing mother has a high temperature, you need to take an antipyretic - ibuprofen or paracetamol. The concentration of the active substance in milk is extremely low and cannot harm the baby, so feeding is not a contraindication for taking these drugs.

If necessary, the doctor prescribes treatment for mastitis with antibiotics that are safe during breastfeeding. Just be sure to tell your doctor that you are continuing to feed so that you can be prescribed the appropriate medicine.

Purulent mastitis is treated in a hospital setting. The woman is given a puncture or incision under general anesthesia to remove pus and stagnant milk. Rehabilitation treatment after surgery is the same as treatment for milder mastitis.

Prevention is easier than cure: disease prevention

Although young mothers encounter lactostasis very often, mastitis during breastfeeding develops quite rarely: in 6-9 percent of cases. Prevention of inflammation is very simple: you need to quickly empty the breasts of milk at the first signs of mastitis in a nursing mother.

The easiest and most natural way to empty your baby is by putting your baby to bed. If you have symptoms of lactostasis, you need to feed on demand, offer the breast even more often than the baby asks, and allow the baby to suck as much as he wants.

Watch also my video lesson about lactostasis:

If the patient has been diagnosed with mastitis, breastfeeding will alleviate the symptoms of the disease and treatment will proceed faster.

If the child is still very small and falls asleep while eating, you can periodically wake him up by tickling his cheek. The sore breast should always be offered first, and not give up trying for a while, even if the baby does not want to take it.

Before feeding, you can drink a cup of warm tea and take a shower (not hot). While showering, try to express your breasts gently without pressing or squeezing too hard. Rough actions can aggravate the swelling.

Folk remedies for getting rid of mastitis

Drug treatment and physiotherapy can be supplemented with folk remedies:

• Apply a cabbage leaf to your breasts both day and night (you can put it in your bra).
• Mint leaf compress. Pour boiling water over dry leaves for 5 minutes. Then cool, wrap in clean gauze or a diaper and tie to the chest like a mustard plaster for 20 minutes.
• You can also make compresses from alder and burdock leaves.

Most often, mastitis occurs in breastfeeding women due to oversight. Carefully monitor the symptoms, take action at the slightest stagnation of milk - and the disease will bypass you.

Non-lactation mastitis is an inflammatory disease of the mammary gland that occurs in non-lactating women, men and children. The causes are infections, injuries, chronic pathologies of other body systems. A feature of the disease is its vivid symptoms, which makes it possible to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment at an early stage.

Inflammation in the ducts of the mammary glands occurs for several reasons:

1. Sexual crisis in infants, puberty in adolescents, menopause in women and other periods during which hormonal imbalance occurs.
2. Breast injuries, including nipple piercings.
3. Complications after breast surgery.
4. Decreased immunity after illness or vitamin deficiency.
5. Metabolic dysfunction, endocrine pathologies.
6. Chronic infectious diseases of other body systems.

Non-lactation mastitis most often occurs in women over 35 years of age. People who abuse smoking and lead a sedentary lifestyle are at risk.

In men, the causes of inflammation of the glands are endocrine diseases, hormonal imbalance, drinking alcoholic beverages, and smoking.

Danger of disease

By ignoring the symptoms of mastitis, women put their health at great risk. The advanced form of the disease leads to negative consequences:

• chronic form of the pathology, the likelihood of exacerbation within several months
• accumulation of pus, formation of an abscess, which can only be removed surgically
• sepsis, spread of pus throughout the body
• ignoring breast cancer symptoms

Mastitis in a non-breastfeeding girl or woman is not a cause of cancer. But the pathologies are similar in symptoms, which creates the risk of missing the opportunity to diagnose cancer early. Ignoring pain in the mammary glands is life-threatening!

Clinical picture

At the first stage, non-lactation mastitis practically does not appear. A woman may feel slight discomfort in the chest area, which is often attributed to new, uncomfortable underwear or premenstrual syndrome. During this period, there is an active release of prolactin into the blood, activation of the pathogen, if the cause is the development of an infection.

At the second stage, a slight swelling and pain appears in the chest, the skin at the site of inflammation darkens and slightly retracts. As the pathology develops, other symptoms appear:

• inflammation of the axillary lymph nodes, causing severe pain
• muscle pain, joint pain
• temperature increase
• chills
• headache and other signs of intoxication of the body

Treatment of mastitis should begin immediately, without delaying a visit to a mammologist. To rule out breast cancer, it is recommended to visit an oncologist. It is possible to differentiate one pathology from another only through a comprehensive examination.

Diagnostic methods

For diagnosis, palpation of the mammary gland is performed to study the condition of the breast and the nature of the compaction. The patient is interviewed in order to compile a clinical picture of the symptoms and the course of the inflammatory process.

If mastitis is in the chronic stage, the doctor, upon examination, reveals:

• presence of breast deformation
• degree of skin retraction at the site of inflammation
• presence of fistulas and purulent discharge

Instrumental and laboratory examinations are carried out:

• general blood test
• breast ultrasound
• puncture of the inflammation site for bacterial culture

Treatment of physiological form

Physiological non-lactation mastitis often does not require treatment. It occurs against the background of hormonal imbalance, including in newborns. If the disease does not cause severe pain, then under the supervision of a specialist, treatment can be postponed. Patients are prescribed hormonal therapy in the absence of contraindications.

If pain and discomfort are severe, antibacterial therapy and painkillers are prescribed. Vivid symptoms indicate the active development of an infectious process that requires drug treatment.

Surgical treatment

If a woman is diagnosed with mastitis, surgical treatment is prescribed in two cases:

• inflammation turned into a purulent process
• Conservative treatment does not produce results within 2-4 days

The operation is performed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. The abscess is opened, the ducts are cleared of contents, and dead tissue is removed. During the operation, drainage must be installed.

As a rule, women tolerate surgery to treat mastitis well and recover quickly. Surgical intervention does not affect the patient’s hormonal background.

Conservative therapy

Conservative treatment is indicated for patients who remain in satisfactory health and have no signs of a purulent process. The mammary glands do not have pronounced deformation; upon palpation, an infiltrate with a small area is noted. A general blood test did not reveal progressive inflammation.

Patients need to be treated comprehensively, using drugs from the groups of antibiotics (Amoxiclav, Cephalexin) and antihistamines (Zodak, Suprastin, Tavegil). In case of severe pain, painkillers are prescribed, including for local application. These include Vishnevsky ointment and ichthyol ointment.

Treatment of mastitis in newborns

At birth, children often experience swelling and swelling of the mammary glands, which does not cause discomfort to the baby. Physiological mastitis goes away within a few days, in rare cases it persists up to 2-3 months of age. Parents are required not to interfere with the natural process and not touch the baby’s breasts. Do not apply compresses, heat the glands, or put pressure on the nipples.

Neglect of these rules leads to the development of purulent mastitis in newborns. It can be diagnosed by severe swelling of the breast, purulent discharge, and redness. Pathological changes occur in the gland. In this case, drug treatment with antibacterial drugs is required.

Non-lactation mastitis is an inflammatory disease of the mammary glands. With timely contact with specialists, the risk of complications is reduced and treatment is simplified. The advanced form requires surgical intervention and can lead to life-threatening consequences. Therefore, you cannot ignore the symptoms of pathology and immediately contact a specialist if you experience discomfort in the chest area.

Lactation (postpartum) mastitis is an inflammatory disease of the mammary glands that occurs during breastfeeding. Most often, the disease occurs in primiparous women in the first weeks of lactation, as well as during weaning. Mastitis during breastfeeding is caused by pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus).

Causes of lactation mastitis

1. Microcrack of nipples. The entry point for microbes that cause mastitis is the nipple. Therefore, any inflammatory diseases with microcracks in the nipples (for example, breast thrush) can lead to the spread of infection into the mammary gland. (read the article about).
2. Unprepared nipples for feeding.
3. The postpartum period in women is accompanied by: a) hormonal changes, b) a decrease in immune strength - which can also lead to mastitis.
4. Failure to comply with basic breast hygiene standards.
5. Hypothermia.
6. Presence of tumors in the mammary gland.
7. Lactostasis. After childbirth, the breasts swell greatly as the first flow of milk occurs. In this case, the baby may still eat little or not breastfeed at all, which leads to stagnation of milk in the mammary gland - THIS is the most common cause of mastitis in a nursing mother.

Symptoms

The disease is manifested by the following symptoms:

• Induration, swelling and pain in the entire breast or some part of it (nipple, areola, mammary gland).
• Redness of the skin at the site of inflammation.
• Difficulty in milk flow, problems with feeding.
• Elevated temperature up to 38 0 C or more. Headache, chills, weakness.
• Enlarged axillary lymph nodes.

Redness

Seal

Mastitis is difficult to confuse with another disease of the mammary glands, so if you have the above symptoms, you should definitely see a doctor within two days. At the same time, during the first days you do not need to stop feeding the baby with a healthy breast, and you should express milk from a breast with mastitis until you are convinced that there is no infectious process in it.

In case of purulent mastitis, which is determined by ultrasound, you should stop feeding the baby and the healthy breast, since pus can also enter the healthy mammary gland through the blood. It will be possible to resume breastfeeding only after recovery and testing for the presence of infection in the milk.

Video #1

What not to do if you suspect mastitis

• Mastitis during lactation is not a reason to immediately stop breastfeeding your baby. It is strictly forbidden to use any means or drugs to suppress lactation, and limit fluid intake for this purpose.
• Under no circumstances should the area of ​​inflammation be heated: do not take hot baths or showers, or apply a heating pad.
• Shouldn't on one's own choose antibiotics for yourself or try folk remedies.

Treatment of mastitis

The effectiveness of treatment is directly related to the timeliness of the necessary therapy. If mastitis began to be treated in the first 2 days after the appearance of characteristic symptoms, then surgical intervention most likely will not be necessary. The operation is prescribed only in case of purulent mastitis. Most often, treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis, since the mother continues to breastfeed the baby, and this is an important factor in the treatment of mastitis. Stopping breastfeeding during mastitis can only complicate the disease.

Treatment for mastitis includes:

• The most important thing at the beginning of the disease is to continue to stimulate the flow of milk from the mammary glands. First, you need to put the baby on the sore breast, since maximum emptying is more important for her. Expressing should be regular, as it is important to reduce the load on the gland and prevent the appearance of new stagnant foci. The only contraindication to feeding from a mastitis breast is the use of antibiotics, which are prescribed only if other conservative (non-surgical) methods do not help.
• Carrying out regular manual massage from the edges of the mammary gland to the nipple promotes the outflow of milk.
• After feeding, ice or a heating pad with ice should be applied to the sore breast through the tissue for 15 minutes.
• For better milk flow and relief of spasms in the mammary gland, before feeding, take a solution of oxytocin, 4 drops, 5 to 6 times a day.

All of the above (pumping, cold and oxytocin) should be done every two hours, including at night.

Note to moms!

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• It is important to treat the external source of infection: if there are cracks or inflammation on the nipple, then you should smear it with Bepanten, Purelan - 100 or other anti-inflammatory and healing ointments that your doctor will prescribe.
• If the temperature rises above 38 0 C, you need to take antipyretics.
• In case of a protracted infectious inflammatory process, the doctor prescribes antibiotics, which are selected depending on the pathogen and are taken for a course of 5-10 days. In parallel with antibacterial drugs, medications that suppress lactation are prescribed. During this period, the child is transferred to artificial feeding with formulas. After recovery, breastfeeding can be resumed.

Folk remedies

At the first signs of mastitis, in parallel with the main methods of treatment, some folk remedies can help:

1. The cabbage leaf is applied to the sore breast all day and under the bra at night.
2. Compresses and alder and mint leaves. You can take dried leaves and, after soaking them in boiling water for 2 minutes, apply them in gauze to the sore breast for 15 minutes before each pumping or feeding.
3. Apply burdock (coltsfoot) leaves, scalded with boiling water, to the chest for 10 - 15 minutes.

Prevention

When breastfeeding, mastitis is doubly unpleasant, since it brings discomfort not only to the mother, but also to the child. Therefore, it is important to constantly monitor the prevention of this disease.

Secondly, it is important to attach the baby to the breast correctly and change feeding positions to ensure an even flow of milk. Reading

Thirdly, it is necessary to treat cracked nipples, which often occur in novice nurses. You can smear the nipple with Bepanten before and after feeding or use it for feeding.

It is very important to maintain hygiene: Take a shower once a day and change your bra. Make sure that there are no drops of milk left on the nipples after feeding. You should not wash your breasts after each feeding, as this will only damage the protective layer of the skin. It is enough to dip the remaining milk with a clean napkin or wipe the nipple with a cotton pad soaked in boiled water. For showering, it is better to use gels with neutral pH rather than soap.

Don’t panic or be overly nervous if you suspect mastitis , your emotional state is transmitted to the baby and affects lactation. Carry out all treatment measures calmly, do not delay your visit to the doctor. Almost all nurses experience congestion in the chest, but not everyone develops mastitis.

Read useful articles on the topic of breastfeeding:

Video No. 2

Contents:

What to do with lactostasis (milk stagnation) or with the onset of mastitis?

1. Examine the nipple carefully. In many cases, in women who have developed lactostasis, a small (about 1 mm in diameter), whitish bubble can be seen on the nipple. This bubble appears due to the fact that a thin skin film appears at the exit of the milk duct, which closes it and blocks the outflow of milk. If you notice such a bubble, break it by wiping the nipple several times with a piece of clean, rough cloth. You can also simply pry the bubble gently with a sterile needle.
2. After you have “opened” the milk duct or, if you have not found a clogged outlet on the nipple, apply a warm compress to the breast and begin massaging the breast in the direction “from the seal to the nipple.” In order to improve the flow of milk during a massage, you can attach the baby to the breast or suck out the milk with a pump.
   If you decide to put your baby to the breast, the best position will be in which his chin touches the area where you feel the lump. In this position, when feeding, the baby will stimulate the outflow of milk from the lactostasis zone.
3. Continue massaging and suctioning milk for at least 10-15 minutes. In most cases, this time is enough to unblock the milk duct and remove accumulated milk.
4. Sometimes, with lactostasis or the onset of mastitis, the breasts can be very painful, which is why the woman cannot relax and the milk “does not come out.” In order to solve this problem, you can start feeding from a healthy breast and when the milk “comes in”, immediately attach the baby to the breast in which the lump has formed.
5. If the duct does not open immediately and the seal does not disappear, repeat the recommendations from points 2 and 3 several more times after a few hours.

Below we will answer questions that may be of interest to women who have actually developed mastitis.

Which doctor should I see?

It would be right if you consult a mammologist or surgeon.

Why might I have developed mastitis? What causes this disease?

The main cause of mastitis is an infection that enters the breast tissue through cracks in the nipples or (less commonly) through the milk ducts.

In many women, mastitis develops at the site of a blocked milk duct (that is, after lactostasis), but sometimes mastitis develops on its own, without a previous phase of lactostasis.

Where do microbes that cause mastitis come from?

In most cases, mastitis is associated with common microbes that are present everywhere, including in the mouth of an infant.

Less commonly, mastitis develops under the influence of microbes that have developed immunity to a number of antibiotics. Infection with such microbes especially often occurs in the maternity hospital.

Can mastitis be associated with a fungal infection?

Yes, this is possible, especially if, simultaneously with the onset of mastitis, you notice that the child has painful ulcers in the mouth (thrush, stomatitis) and/or the skin under the diaper turns red (diaper dermatitis).

In such cases, the cause of mastitis in the mother and thrush/diaper dermatitis in the child may be caused by Candida fungi.

The distinctive symptoms of fungal mastitis are severe, “shooting” pain in the mammary gland that spreads along the length of the milk ducts, from the nipple to the chest.

Diagnostics. What tests and examinations can the doctor suggest?

The main task of the doctor with mastitis is to determine the type of infection (bacteria or fungus) and determine whether mastitis has already formed at the site breast abscess. In order to answer these questions, the doctor, depending on the case, may limit itself to a general examination or may suggest that you do an ultrasound of the breast and take a milk test for culture.

How to properly collect a milk sample for culture?

1. Prepare a sterile container for tests (they are sold at the pharmacy).
2. Wash the nipple of the breast from which you want to take a milk sample with warm water and soap and pat dry with a clean towel.
3. Without touching the top of the nipple, squeeze a few milliliters of milk onto a towel or into the sink. This is necessary to “wash out” the microbes that populate the milk ducts in the nipple area.
4. Open the sterile container and squeeze 20-30 ml of milk into it. It is very important that the nipple does not touch the container (the skin of the nipple contains many bacteria that can “contaminate the milk” and distort the analysis results).

What is a breast abscess?

Breast abscess is a more severe form of mastitis, in which an accumulation of pus forms at the site of the inflamed breast tissue. A breast abscess does not respond to conventional treatment and may require surgery to eliminate it. Of all women who develop mastitis, an abscess forms, on average, in 5-11%. A breast abscess is clearly visible on an ultrasound.

What treatment is given in case of breast abscess?

If in your case mastitis leads to the formation of an abscess, depending on the size of the inflammation, your doctor will be able to offer you several treatment options.

If the ultrasound shows that the abscess is less than 3 cm in diameter, the doctor may only suggest you take antibiotics. He may also suggest performing a puncture of the abscess (that is, piercing the area of ​​inflammation with a thin needle) to take a sample for microbiological analysis, which will help more accurately determine the type of microbes causing the inflammation and select more effective treatment.

If the ultrasound shows that the abscess is larger than 3 cm in diameter, your doctor may recommend surgery, during which the abscess will be opened and removed through a small incision in the skin of the breast.

What treatment is needed for mastitis? Is it possible to do without antibiotics?

If the examination shows that mastitis has not had time to cause the formation of an abscess and the symptoms of inflammation are not very strong, the doctor may suggest that you limit yourself to only treatment that will help improve the outflow of milk from the area of ​​inflammation: breast massage + warm compresses + latching on the baby or pumping out milk with a pump. We have already described this treatment above. In many cases, it is enough to solve the problem: the symptoms of mastitis disappear and the condition of the sick woman improves.

If within 1-2 days the symptoms of mastitis not only do not go away, but even intensify, the doctor will be able to offer you treatment with antibiotics.