- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical editor-in-chief, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for MayoClinic.com to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a consultant and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education for Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs before taking this leadership role. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this Web site. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
Labor and delivery (3)
- Back labor: Childbirth myth or reality?
- Cord blood banking: Should I consider it?
- Lower back tattoo: Can it prevent an epidural for labor pain?
Postpartum care (3)
- Lactation suppression: Can medication help?
- Postpartum thyroiditis: What are the signs and symptoms?
- Sagging breasts: Inevitable after breast-feeding?
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Question
Lactation suppression: Can medication help?
What are the options for lactation suppression immediately after birth?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
If breast-feeding isn't possible or practical, the safest way to suppress lactation is to let milk production dry up naturally. In the meantime, avoid stimulating the breasts or expressing milk. Over-the-counter pain relievers, ice packs and a supportive bra can help relieve breast engorgement and pain — which may peak three to five days after delivery.
Medications for lactation suppression pose serious safety concerns. For example, high doses of estrogen given by injection can stop milk production — but the estrogen poses a risk of life-threatening blood clots in the mother. And bromocriptine, a drug once used for lactation suppression, is no longer recommended for this purpose because it can cause dangerously low blood pressure and stroke.
Next questionPostpartum thyroiditis: What are the signs and symptoms?
- Spitz AM, et al. Treatment for lactation suppression: Little progress in one hundred years. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1998;179(6):1485-1490.
- Poggi SB. Postpartum hemorrhage & the abnormal puerperium. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2387573. Accessed Aug. 25, 2008.
- Katz VL. Postpartum care. In: Gabbe SG, et al. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/102988922-2/0/1528/208.html?tocnode=54292116&fromURL=208.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06930-7..50023-2--cesec17_1087. Accessed Aug. 25, 2008.
- The puerperium. In: Cunningham GF, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=729155. Accessed Aug. 25, 2008.
