Hyperthyroid mothers breastfeeding need to pay attention to these

The breastfeeding period is not only a critical period of growth for a newborn baby, but also a golden period for women’s physical recovery after childbirth. Therefore, special attention should be paid to any physical condition. Mothers with hyperthyroidism can breastfeed normally because their thyroid gland will not affect the health of their children through breast milk. However, it is important to seek medical attention in a timely manner to ensure the absolute health of the child.

1. If you develop hyperthyroidism during breastfeeding, can you continue breastfeeding ?

You can breastfeed without worry. The mother's thyroid hormones do not pass into the baby's breast milk. However, hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism can reduce milk secretion, so you should breastfeed frequently to maintain milk secretion and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

2. Is it safe to breastfeed after taking antithyroid drugs ?

There are two commonly used drugs for hyperthyroidism. One is PTU (propylthiouracil), which has large molecules and is not easily absorbed into breast milk, so it is safe for babies. This was originally the drug of choice for breastfeeding mothers. However, currently, doctors in the United States do not usually prescribe this drug unless you are allergic to another drug. Because in recent years there have been cases showing that this drug can severely damage the liver and cause death. Although some doctors believe that such serious side effects are rare and the drug is generally safe, it has been included in the list of drugs that should not be prescribed easily by official US medical agencies.

The other is methimazole (Tapazole), which is the medicine the doctor prescribed for me. The doctor said it would not affect the child, but the instructions for the medicine said that the medicine would seep into breast milk, so breastfeeding women should stop breastfeeding. As a mother, your child’s health is your first priority. Studies have shown that a daily dose of 20 mg or less has no adverse effects on children. There is currently a lack of research results for amounts above 20 mg. Also, this medicine reaches its peak level in breast milk two hours after taking it, so if you are really worried, you can avoid breastfeeding at this time. Four hours after taking the medicine, the amount of medicine in breast milk is negligible. Therefore, if the child is older and does not feed as frequently, he or she can take the medicine after feeding and then feed again after four hours.

3. Breastfeeding mothers must not absorb iodine .

The iodine uptake test uses radioactive iodine, which takes several weeks to be completely eliminated from the body.

Therefore, the iodine absorption rate is not a must. There may be other tests. If it must be done, it is required to use technetium instead of radioactive iodine. Technetium is metabolized quickly and can be safely used for breastfeeding after 30 hours.