LACTATION INHIBITION BY DELADUMONE INJECTED DURING LABOR OR JUST AFTER DELIVERY

The course of postpartum changes in the breast was followed in 310 women who did not wish to breast feed their infants. A hormone preparation containing 90 mg. of testosterone enanthate and 4 mg. of estradiol valerate per cubic centimeter was injected parenterally in a single dose in each of 185 patients. These were compared with 83 patients who received a somewhat similar androgen-estrogen preparation in repeated doses by mouth and 42 who did not receive any hormone medication. Each patient was classified with respect to postpartum enlargement of breasts, signs of discomfort, and requirements of treatment with aspirin, binders, or ice caps. The incidence of engorgement among 268 hormone-treated patients was 8.3% as compared with 69% among 42 patients not so treated, and an equally marked difference was found in regard to postpartum breast pain. The parenteral medication, when injected in doses of 3 or 4 cc., was more effective than the oral medication, and a study of dosages and timing led to the conclusion that the most effective dosage of the parenteral preparation was a single injection of at least 3 cc. given preferably within the first hour post partum or at the end of the first stage of labor.