A non-pharmacologic treatment to relieve breast engorgement during lactation: an integrative literature review

Abstract

Breast engorgement affects breastfeeding and leads to early weaning. The literature presents techniques for treating engorgement, but there is no agreement as to which is the best treatment. The objective of this study is to identify and analyze the evidence found in the literature regarding non-pharmacological treatments to relieve breast engorgement symptoms during breastfeeding. We performed an integrative literature review of studies published since 1990, on MEDLINE and LILACS, using the keywords: breastfeeding, lactation disorder and therapy. We found ten studies: two systematic literature reviews, seven randomized controlled trials and one quasi-experimental study. The analyzed studies show conflicting results and there is not enough evidence to recommend the implementation of the evaluated treatments. Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to determine effective therapies for treating breast engorgement.