I have a 14-month-old daughter and am undergoing treatments for an advanced vein disease. Asclera and Sotradecol are being used for the sclerotherapy portions of my treatment. Is it safe to breastfeed after these treatments?
There is no data on the presence of Asclera in breast milk or effects on a breastfed child. That being said, I would exercise caution as there is no data to support either side of the argument. If your vein disease is that bad and needs active treatment while breastfeeding, it might be wise to consider switching to formula or another source of nutrition for your child. Some recommend "pump and dump" for 12-24 hours after treatment but again there are no trials showing if this is effective or not. I would use caution.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
We do not advise any sclerotherapy treatments while breastfeeding. There are no studies as to the safety in this situation. Additionally, if you wait until your hormones are back to baseline, your results might be better.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Probably, but there is no research on this, so the advice is not to do it.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Although the risk is small, in my practice, I do not do sclerotherapy while a patient is breastfeeding. It is best to be safe and not potential expose your child to the solution used during treatment.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
It is probably safe to pump and store before treatments and discard breastmilk for 24 hours after treatment. Use the stored milk in the interim. Some would say not to do sclerotherapy while breastfeeding, but most vein specialists use the outlined regimen above. Seek the advice of the vein specialist and your pediatrician prior to undergoing sclerotherapy while breastfeeding.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Best not to breastfeed after sclerotherapy.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
I tell my patients to play it safe and pump and dump for 24 hours after a session.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
This is a commonly asked question, and I am not sure that there is an exact answer. I do not perform sclerotherapy when patients are breastfeeding. It seems to me that the solutions are rapidly excreted from your body, so not breastfeeding for 24 hours after the treatment is PROBABLY safe. But I would not take this chance, so I do not treat breastfeeding women with sclerotherapy.
Published on Jul 11, 2012