Breastfeeding after breast surgical procedure or breast cancer.

As more older women bear and breastfeed children, an increasing number will have lactation risk factors, such as a cosmetic or diagnostic breast surgical procedure or breast radiation therapy after breast cancer. The chief risk of breast operation can be attributed to periareolar breast incisions, which sever milk ducts and disrupt innervation, whereas radiation therapy causes diffuse damage, including atrophy of the lobules. Prenatal recognition of women at risk, early intervention to maximize milk yield, and close medical follow-up should permit accurate assessment of lactation potential and the tailoring of a plan of care that allows for satisfying breastfeeding without compromising an infant's nutritional well-being.