Is Testosterone Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Testosterone? Is Testosterone safe for nursing mother and child? Does Testosterone extracts into breast milk? Does Testosterone has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Testosterone influence milk supply or can Testosterone decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Testosterone lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Testosterone is 3 out of 8 which is considered Low Risk as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 3 indicates that usage of Testosterone may cause some minor side effects in breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research indicates that Testosterone may cause moderate to no side effects in lactating mother.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Testosterone low risk in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
- While using Testosterone We suggest monitoring child for possible reactions. It is also important to understand that side effects vary largely based on age of breastfed child and time of medication in addition to dosage.
- Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.
Answer by Dr. Ru: About Testosterone usage in lactation
Testosterone hormone reduces Prolactin serum levels and may likely inhibit milk production mainly soon after delivery. No significant increase of Testosterone serum levels neither in the mother´s milk nor in the infant’s serum have been found after administration to the mother. No adverse side effects have been noticed in the infant.
Answer by DrLact: About Testosterone usage in lactation
Limited data indicate that a low-dose (100 mg) subcutaneous testosterone pellet given to a nursing mother appears not to increase milk testosterone levels markedly. Testosterone has low oral bioavailability because of extensive first-pass metabolism, so it is unlikely to affect the breastfed infant. One breastfed infant seemed not to be adversely affected by low-dose maternal testosterone therapy.
Testosterone Side Effects in Breastfeeding
An infant (age not stated) was breastfed (extent not stated) after implantation of 100 mg of testosterone subcutaneously. No adverse effects were noted in the infant over a 5-month period.[1]
Testosterone Possible Effects in Breastfeeding
Supraphysiologic serum levels of testosterone, either from a tumor[2][3] or from exogenously administered testosterone,[4] reduces milk production in postpartum women. Testosterone alone reduces serum prolactin;[4] however, when given in combination with estrogen and progestin, serum prolactin levels are not markedly reduced.[5] Testosterone was previously used therapeutically to suppress lactation, usually in combination with an estrogen.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Alternate Drugs
Testosterone(Low Risk)
Progesterone(Safe)
Estradiol(Low Risk)
Estradiol Valerate(Low Risk)
Testosterone(Low Risk)