I have no research but I have a lot of anecdotal evidence regarding underwires and plugged ducts as I do professional bra fittings on nursing moms.  What a woman needs to know is that if ANY bra does not fit properly it can lead to plugged ducts and/or mastitis.  She must make sure that the underwire does not hit breast tissue on the side of the breast, under the breast, or in between the breasts.  This can be difficult to do especially with poorly made bras.  The wire should lay flat against the ribs in all of these areas.  The hardest part to achieve this is in between the breasts.  The bra must lay flat against the sternum(this should be true at all times in our lives).  Also remember that some women have breast tissue that goes very far back under their arms.  If the underwire fits correctly, there is no breast tissue to block!  The problem is that most women do not get a bra properly fitted.  Even when I do a professional fitting I can not always find an underwire that
 properly fits a woman.  
   
  When people ask me about underwires and plugged ducts/mastitis I always tell them the story about my own case of mastitis.  My son was 9 months old and I put on an underwire bra.  I got mastitis shortly after.  The twist is, the mastitis was not from the underwire.  The mastitis was in the upper portion of my breast where the elastic was too tight.  The underwire fit perfectly, the cup was too small.  The elastic was digging into my breast tissue and blocking my ducts.  I think if women can either be fitted by a professional who works with breastfeeding moms or be absolutely sure that the wire is not hitting any breast tissue they can safely wear underwires.  Many women, especially woman who are have large cup sizes or who have pendulous breasts really need that support.  I would love to see some data that showed the rates of infection but I would want to make sure it was controlled for a correctly fitted bra!
   
  Rebbecca Rosen RN, BSN, PPD
  

 


Rebbecca Rosen RN, BSN, CBC, PPD
  The Breastchester, Inc.
  PO Box 755 
  Poughquag, NY 12570
  845-227-8636
   
  "We must be the change we want to see in the world."  Mahatma Ghandi

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