Unilateral breastfeeding: an unusual practice that might be the reason for future development of contralateral breast disease.

Background: A significant number of mothers have breastfed their babies from one breast only or from one breast more than the other. They presented to the breast clinic with complaints that mainly involve the breast that was not used or less used for breastfeeding.

Methods: The database of the Breast Unit at King Fahd Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was reviewed from April 1998 to March 2010. The lactation history of any patient coming to the breast clinic was documented, including number of children, duration of lactation, and the way they performed breastfeeding.

Results: During the study period, 54 patients have breastfed their babies exclusively from one breast (Group 1), and 21 have breastfed from one breast more than the other (Group 2). Patients gave different reasons for this practice, with nipple retraction being the commonest. In Group 1, 46 of 54 (85%) presented with complaints in the breast that was not used for breastfeeding (unsuckled), and only eight of 54 (15%) presented with complaints in the used (suckled) breast (p = 0.000). In Group 2, 13 of 21 (62%) presented with complaints in the breast that was less used for breastfeeding (less suckled), five of 21 (24%) presented with complaints in the breast more used for breastfeeding (more suckled), and three of 21 (14%) presented with complaints in both breasts equally (p = 0.418).

Conclusion: Mothers who practice unilateral breastfeeding are candidates for future development of different breast problems in the unsuckled/less suckled breast.