Frequently
Asked Questions
Our
FAQs present information from La Leche League International on topics of
interest to parents of breastfed children. Not all of the information may
be pertinent to your family's lifestyle. This information is general in
nature and not intended to be advice, medical or otherwise. If you have
a serious breastfeeding problem or concern, you are strongly encouraged
to talk directly to a La Leche League Leader.
Please consult health care professionals on any medical issue, as La Leche
League Leaders are not medical practitioners.
Can breastfeeding mothers get
mammograms?
Yes, breastfeeding mothers can
have mammograms.
Mothers asking this question
may have two concerns:
1. Will the radiation affect
my milk and harm my baby?
2. Is it possible to read the mammogram of a lactating breast?
X-rays do not affect mother's
milk, so you can safely resume breastfeeding immediately after the mammogram.
In fact, according to LLLI's WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, page 134, "Mammograms,
x-rays and ultrasound tests will not interfere with breastfeeding."
The second question has a longer
answer. It is possible to read a mammogram of a lactating breast. Breasts
that produce milk are called lactating breasts. Due to milk production,
there is more dense tissue present in the lactating breast than in a non-lactating
one. This normal density may make it harder to read the results. The amount
of tissue in your breast depends on the frequency that your baby is breastfeeding.
If breastfeeding occurs infrequently, there will be less milk and tissue
so the mammogram would be easier to read. To help reduce the amount of milk
prior to a mammogram, you could bring your baby and breastfeed immediately
prior to the procedure. Finding a radiologist experienced in reading mammograms
of lactating breasts would produce more reliable results.
Resources for Additional Information
Contact a local La Leche League
Leader for more information and support . For help in finding a local Leader,
check out Finding
a Local LLL Group.
"Breast
Health in Lactating Women" by Anne M. Montgomery, MD, from
LLLI's professional journal, BREASTFEEDING ABSTRACTS, May 2001, Volume 20,
Number 4, pp. 27-28, includes information on mammograms.
These items are all available
from LLLI's online catalogue
or through your local Leader.
THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING,
published by La Leche League International, is the most complete resource
available for the breastfeeding mother. (Softcover, 465 pages)
La Leche League International's
BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK by Nancy Mohrbacher and Julie Stock This
popular LLLI resource book discusses mammograms on page 426. (Hardcover,
Spiral-bound, 8 1/2"x 11". 586 pages. No 154-12, WAS $55.00 SALE
$48.00)
Last updated
Thursday, March 21, 2002 3:24 PM
by dw.