Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Sep 29;12(10):12247-63.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph121012247.

Nipple Pain in Breastfeeding Mothers: Incidence, Causes and Treatments

Jacqueline C Kent  1 , Elizabeth Ashton  2 , Catherine M Hardwick  3 , Marnie K Rowan  4 , Elisa S Chia  5 , Kyle A Fairclough  6 , Lalitha L Menon  7 , Courtney Scott  8 , Georgia Mather-McCaw  9 , Katherine Navarro  10 , Donna T Geddes  11
Affiliations

Nipple Pain in Breastfeeding Mothers: Incidence, Causes and Treatments

Jacqueline C Kent et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Persistent nipple pain is one of the most common reasons given by mothers for ceasing exclusive breastfeeding. We aimed to determine the frequency of nipple pain as a reason for consultation, the most common attributed aetiologies, and the effectiveness of the advice and treatment given.

Methods: All consultations at the Breast Feeding Centre of Western Australia (WA) were audited over two six-month periods in 2011 (n = 469) and 2014 (n = 708). Attributed cause(s) of nipple pain, microbiology results, treatment(s) advised, and resolution of pain were recorded.

Results: Nipple pain was one of the reasons for consultation in 36% of cases. The most common attributed cause of nipple pain was incorrect positioning and attachment, followed by tongue tie, infection, palatal anomaly, flat or inverted nipples, mastitis, and vasospasm. Advice included correction of positioning and attachment, use of a nipple shield, resting the nipples and expressing breastmilk, frenotomy, oral antibiotics, topical treatments, and cold or warm compresses. Pain was resolving or resolved in 57% of cases after 18 days (range 2-110).

Conclusion: The multiple attributed causes of nipple pain, possibly as a result of a cascade of events, suggests that effective early lactation management for prevention of nipple pain and early diagnosis and effective treatment are crucial to avoid early weaning.

Keywords: breastfeeding; diagnosis; nipple pain; treatments.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Morland-Schultz K., Hill P.D. Prevention of and therapies for nipple pain: A systematic review. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Neonatal Nurs. 2005;34:428–437. - PubMed
    1. Dennis C.L., Jackson K., Watson J. Interventions for treating painful nipples among breastfeeding women. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2014;12 doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007366. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wagner E.A., Chantry C.J., Dewey K.G., Nommsen-Rivers L.A. Breastfeeding concerns at 3 and 7 days postpartum and feeding status at 2 months. Pediatrics. 2013;132:865–875. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-0724. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McCann M.F., Baydar N., Williams R.L. Breastfeeding attitudes and reported problems in a national sample of WIC participants. J. Hum. Lact. 2007;23:314–324. doi: 10.1177/0890334407307882. - DOI - PubMed
    1. McClellan H.L., Hepworth A.R., Garbin C.P., Rowan M.K., Deacon J., Hartmann P.E., Geddes D.T. Nipple pain during breastfeeding with or without visible trauma. J. Hum. Lact. 2012;28:511–521. doi: 10.1177/0890334412444464. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms