Can I take X-rays during breastfeeding?

A woman's physical health is crucial during breastfeeding because the mother's health determines the health of her baby. If the breast milk is rich and nutritious, it is very beneficial for the baby. However, if there is some problem with the mother's body, the baby will also have problems. X-ray is a medical method with high radiation intensity to examine diseases. Can I take X-rays while breastfeeding?

How to determine the safety of medical examinations? It mainly depends on whether the radiation from the medical examination will accumulate in breast milk and whether the contrast agent will be absorbed by the baby's body! Safe examinations during breastfeeding include: B-ultrasound, X-ray, CT scan, MRI scan, PET, and infrared examinations. You can breastfeed immediately, and these examinations will not cause radiation to accumulate in the breasts! However, when doing a breast examination, because the breasts are full of milk, it is not conducive to the doctor's observation, so it is recommended that the mother empty her breasts before the examination.

When doing enhanced CT/MRI, a radioactive contrast agent is injected into the body. However, for breastfeeding mothers, most contrast agents (such as Magnevist solution, gadolinium-containing agents, and iodine-containing agents) are safe. Although these contrast agents can enter breast milk, their oral bioavailability is very low. Even if they appear in breast milk, they cannot be absorbed by the baby's body after entering the baby's stomach.

However, when CT/MRI is enhanced, if mangafodipir trisodium is used, the manganese content in breast milk will increase rapidly and be absorbed into the body by the baby. Therefore, it is generally recommended to breastfeed at least 4 hours after the examination. When a breastfeeding mother undergoes enhanced CT/MRI, it is recommended to ask the doctor what the contrast agent is and then find out the oral bioavailability of the drug. If you are concerned about the impact on breast-feeding, wait 5-10 half-lives before breast-feeding.

There are tests for radioactive isotopes! (They will accumulate in breast milk and affect the baby after ingesting the breast milk.) It is recommended to interrupt breastfeeding for 5-10 half-lives (the half-life of each radioactive isotope is different). During breaks in breastfeeding, express breast milk to maintain milk supply.