Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Maternal  (Expert Forum)
 | 
Re: inverted nipples
Patient medical question and answer from The Maternal and Child Health Forum. Health topic area and articles about newborn care

Re: inverted nipples

by HFHS.RN-MMD, Jan 01, 1995 12:00AM
Posted By HFHSRN-MMD on June 29, 1998 at 07:49:39:

In Reply to: inverted nipples posted by skee on June 12, 1998 at 01:32:32:






i have inverted nipples.  will i be able to breastfeed?  does this increase my chances of getting breast cancer?  is there an operation to have it corrected?
                



  __

Hi Skee;
There are several things you  can do to improve the ability to breastfeed with inverted nipples.  First remember it is BREASTfeeding and not nipple feeding. During pregnancy especially the last several months the hormonal changes increase the elasticity of the skin. It is this elasticity that the breast shells use to increase the eversion of nipples.  You purchase these at maternity stores or from shops that sell quality breastfeeding products (breast pumps etc). These shells are to be worn for short periods of time increasing the length worn gradually.  Before you do this it would be good to determine if you truly have inverted nipples by gently compressing the areola about an inch behind the base of the nipple. If the nipple protrudes with the pinch test, it is not truly inverted. The next "treatment" for inverted nipples is to latch the infant to breast as soon as possible after the birth. It would be a good idea to contact the hospital where you are giving birth and ask to speak to the lactation consultant. This will give you an opportunity to be aware of the resources available to assist you in breastfeeding. There is no documented correlation of increased risk of breast cancer and inverted nipples that I am aware of.  Actually, the studies support breastfeeding as reducing the risk of breast cancer.
Good luck!

HFHS.RN.MMD
Continue discussion
RSS Expert Activity
What You Don't Know About Breathing...
Nov 24 by Steven Y Park, MD
Thanksgiving
Nov 23 by Thomas Dock, Vet. Technician
Snoring As Your Internal Smoke Alar...
Nov 22 by Steven Y Park, MD
Related Tags