Hi everyone
I did a literature search recently trying to find out more about
women who suffer from breast abscesses when they are not lactating.
A few things came to light which might be of interest:
More common in smokers
Many women  had a previous history of other mammary disorders, e.g.
fibrocystic breasts  or  were prone to irregular menstruation
or showed incidence of disorders of the thyroid gland.  Some studies
showed higher than normal levels of prolactin, or rapid rise in
prolactin levels just before an abscess developed.

In Carolyn's case history, maybe the mother who had the abscess that
recurred after she weaned was just very 'unlucky', or the abscess
wasn't treated properly in the first place. Many women who have
terrible trouble with one lactation are problem-free with another. Of
course, if that part of the breast was badly damaged by the previous
abscess, she would want to make doubly sure that that segment of the
breast was well drained.

Hope this helps

Fiona


Fiona Coombes MBBS IBCLC               [log in to unmask]
Lactation Consultant, Family Physician
Perth Western Australia