Toni Street talks to expert Juliet Ireland on how to cope with health anxiety. Photo / Toni Street
Many women who breastfeed their babies will experience mastitis at some point.
It’s an infection that can cause intense pain and make the feeding experience difficult for both mum and baby.
But what you might not know is that this type of infection can occur even when you’re not breastfeeding - and haven’t for years.
Coast host Toni Street recently revealed she had been diagnosed with mastitis after waking up with a “really sore right boob”.
“Like, all under the armpit - couldn’t lift my arm,” she explained in a video shared to her Instagram stories earlier this week.
“I said to Matt [her husband], ‘Something’s wrong, I’m going to have to get a mammogram or something’. Turns out I have mastitis. I didn’t know you could get mastitis when you last breastfed eight years ago, but apparently 10 per cent of people can.
“And it’s caused an infection and I’ve needed antibiotics.”
The radio host told the Herald that when she first started experiencing pain “Never in a million years did I think it would be mastitis.”
“I had it twice when I was breastfeeding but it never crossed my mind because I thought you had to be lactating. My mind went straight to ‘I need to get a mammogram’.”
Street says she’s since learned that men and newborn babies can also suffer from mastitis - and that if left untreated it can leave you “incredibly unwell” or even needing hospitalisation.
“I suspect most people aren’t aware you can get mastitis when you’re not lactating, when in fact 10 per cent of people do,” she shares.
Street adds that more than 3000 people responded to her poll on Instagram, and that “exactly 10 per cent said they had mastitis when they weren’t breastfeeding”.
“I think it helps to know it’s a possibility, even for men and babies.”
Mastitis is most common in women who are breastfeeding, and occurs when a milk duct gets blocked, causing an infection.
According to the Ministry of Health, around 20 per cent of women experience the condition within six months of giving birth. It adds that mastitis can lead to abscesses in the breast, with 11 per cent of women experiencing this.
Much of the messaging around the condition is directed at pregnant or breastfeeding women with an over-supply of milk, so the advice on resolving it is usually to continue feeding.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, non-lactational mastitis is rare but usually “accompanied by a high fever and headache and treated with antibiotics”.
It can happen to women with depressed immune systems, diabetes, or who have had lumpectomies followed by radiation.
You might have mastitis if part of your breast feels tender and swollen, you have a high temperature, chills and flu-like symptoms.
You can ring Healthline on 0800 611 116 for advice or see your doctor straight away if you have a fever.
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