Recommendations for endoscopy and sedation in the lactating patient

Abstract

Lactation is common amongst patients of childbearing age, providing a valuable nutrition source for their infants. There are several concerns to balance with lactating patients in the procedural setting, including interrupted lactation, milk supply, and child safety. However, clinicians have variable comfort with and training in counseling regarding periprocedural lactation. Anecdotally, the authors have noted many endoscopy centers do not use a standardized or guideline-based approach with lactating patients. In this article, we will (1) briefly review the safety and impact of periendoscopy medications on breastmilk and breastmilk supply, and (2) describe our approach for the lactating patient undergoing endoscopy.