Question

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Technetium Tc 99m Medronate? Is Technetium Tc 99m Medronate safe for nursing mother and child? Does Technetium Tc 99m Medronate extracts into breast milk? Does Technetium Tc 99m Medronate has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Technetium Tc 99m Medronate influence milk supply or can Technetium Tc 99m Medronate decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Answer by DrLact: About Technetium Tc 99m Medronate usage in lactation

Information in this record refers to the use of technetium Tc 99m medronate (Tc 99m methylene diphosphonate; Tc 99m MDP) as a diagnostic agent. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Society for Nuclear Medicine state that breastfeeding need not be interrupted after administration of Tc 99m MDP in doses up to 1000 MBq (30 mCi) to a nursing mother.[1][2] The International Commission on Radiological Protection also recommends that breastfeeding need not be interrupted after administration technetium Tc 99m medronate.[3] However, to follow the principle of keeping exposure "as low as reasonably achievable", some experts recommend nursing the infant just before administration of the radiopharmaceutical and interrupting breastfeeding for 3 to 6 hours after the dose, then expressing the milk completely once and discarding it. If the mother has expressed and saved milk prior to the examination, she can feed it to the infant during the period of nursing interruption.[4][5][6] Mothers need not refrain from close contact with their infants after usual clinical doses.[7] Mothers concerned about the level of radioactivity in their milk could ask to have it tested at a nuclear medicine facility at their hospital. When the radioactivity is at a safe level she may resume breastfeeding. A method for measuring milk radioactivity and determining the time when a mother can safely resume breastfeeding has been published.[8] For nursing mothers who work with Tc 99m substances in their workplace, there is no need to take any precautions other than those appropriate for general radiation protection.[9]

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