Fibroadenoma removal and BFing

[mumwithdice]

I have a fibroadenoma in my left breast caused, I think, by the rapid expansion of my breasts when I was first pregnant with DD. It's not grown, if anything, bfing has reduced its size, and it doesn't bother me particularly.

The main thing I'm worried about is future bfing if I have it removed. Will the surgery affect my future ability to breastfeed?

mumwithdice, I hope someone here will be able to answer this, but I would suggest talking to your surgeon, and making it very clear this is a concern.

My understanding is that any breast surgery can usually avoid severing the milk ducts and thus bf is unaffected.

However, remember that it is perfectly possible to feed on one breast only, if you have to :)

I posted because my consultant said "Come back when you've stopped breastfeeding" which made me wonder. Thing is, I'm not planning on stopping any time soon. Am doing it right now as a matter of fact.

Ooops, forgot my manners for a moment. Thank you both for your replies.

I had two fibroadenomas removed in 2003. I was told it wouldn't affect BF-ing. In fact, I would say it has. For example, I express tons from the other side but only ever trickles from the affected breast (maybe 40mls max), and my son tends to use that side more for dummy sucking only. We've worked around it, and we're still going 13m in, but I am just grateful that one side was unaffected.

I think she was a bit anti-bfing for more than 6 months. I last spoke to her a month or two after my DD was born. I've been bfing since then and DD is 13 months now.

I'd meant to post asking about this ages ago because it bothers me a little bit. The idea of not being able to BF DD bothers me far more so I am happy to leave it. I just wanted some information.

Thank you all.

I had one removed when I was 17. I had no problems BFing, I had ds1 at 25 and fed for 1 yr, I'm now (still) feeding DS2 who is nearly three. If anything the breast I had the op on was the worst for oversupply/ spraying milk when the DSs were tiny.

All women respond differently to breast surgery as we all have a different number of milk ducts and different amounts of glandular tissue. One study showed through ultrasound a breastfeeding woman might have 4 ducts or 20! Clearly the one with 4 might be hit harder by breast surgery severing one of her milk ducts.

One of the key things though is not whether ducts are damaged but whether nerves are affected and severed.

The most important nerve is the 4th intercostal nerve. It comes onto your nipples at about the 7/8 o'clock position on your right and the 4/ 5 o'clock position on your left. This is the nerve that connects with your areola and nipples and if this is cut evidence suggests it can impact significantly on breastfeeding success as your milk ejection reflex (let down) is then affected.

The bfar. org site has lots of good information on breastfeeding after all types of surgery. Not wanting to operate during lactation is usually just about messiness and the effect on immediate healing and scar tissue on lactating tissue and ducts. For subsequent breastfeeding success, check the surgeon understands the role of the fourth intercostal nerve.