My name is Beth Leno and I am a junior nursing student at the University of
North Dakota.  Recently in one of my classes, some women were discussing
breast reduction surgeries, and I have also had several conversations about
it with a friend who is thinking about having the surgery.  These women
were wondering if breastfeeding was possible after a breast reduction, and
I thought it would be interesting to learn more about it.
 According to Hatton and Keleher (1983), many women who undergo a
breast reduction are anxious about their ability to breastfeed.  It is
often unknown what the extent of ductal patency is after surgery.  The type
of surgery a woman has determines if she will be able to breastfeed.  I
mainly looked at the results of breastfeeding after an inferior pedicle
reduction mammaplasty because this technique maintains some supply of
nerves to the nipple, which is necessary for breastfeeding (Harris, Morris,
& Freiberg, 1992).  With this surgery, the nipple is left attached to the
inferior dermal pedicle, which is connected to the chest wall by breast
tissue (Robbins, 1977). In the study by Harris, Morris, and Freiberg, all
20 women who became pregnant after a reduction mammaplasty lactated, and
many went on to successfully breastfeed.  A study by Brzozowski, Niessen,
Evans and Hurst (2000) showed that out of 334 women who had inferior
pedicle reduction mammaplasty, 78 had children after their surgery.
Fifteen of them exclusively breastfed, eight used supplements along with
breastfeeding, 14 were unsuccessful and 41 didn’t attempt to breastfeed.
Nine of these 41 did not attempt to breastfeed because of “a direct
consequence of discouragement by a healthcare professional”.  A total of 27
of the 78 total women had some discouragement from medical professionals
about breastfeeding even though many believed they could have due to the
amount of breast engorgement they experienced.
 I thought this information was interesting.  The Brzozowski et al
article was dated February 2000, so maybe information has changed, but many
women may not be getting the correct information about breastfeeding after
a breast reduction.  There are potential complications with breastfeeding
after a reduction, and a woman should be counseled on them, but she should
also be encouraged to try to breastfeed (Hatton & Keleher, 1983).
 I was curious if anyone counsels women who have had breast
reductions and what information they are given.  Are women who have had
reduction surgery worried about their ability to breastfeed?  Have these
women been successful at breastfeeding?

Beth Leno, SN

                               References

 Brzozowski, D., Niessen, M., Evans, H., & Hurst, L. (2000).  Breast-
feeding after inferior pedicle reduction mammaplasty.  Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgery, 105(2), 530-534.
 Harris, L., Morris, S., & Freiberg, A. (1992).  Is breast feeding
possible after reduction mammaplasty?  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,
89(5), 836-839.
        Hatton, M., &Keleher, K. (1983).  Breastfeeding after breast
reduction mammoplasty.  Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 28(4), 19-22.
 Robbins, T. (1977). A reduction mammaplasty with the areola-nipple
based on an inferior dermal pedicle.  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,
59, 64-67.

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