Hello Karleen and Lactnetters:
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) and the International
Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)advise weaning after I131
therapy.

The dose the infant may receive following I131 sodium iodide THERAPY is
very large (see http://www.orau.gov/reacts/breastfd.doc for a very useful
comparison table for different isotopes) and can destroy the baby's
thyroid and cause hypothyroidism. This is not the case for I131 used as
diagnosis agent, where the dose is much lower and the mother can
breastfeed again after approximately 12 hours.

For the NRC table, check out Dr Hale's site (the easiest link I could
find: <http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/lact/radioactive.pdf> ) and for the ICRP
guidelines, see their Powerpoint presentation on radiation, pregnancy and
breastfeeding:
<http://www.icrp.org/downloadDoc.asp?document=docs/ICRP_84_Pregnancy_s.pps>
. Medline offers information on I131 sodium iodide:
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202721.html> .

Best regards,

Veronica Garea LLLL (and Nuclear Engineer and PhD in Engineerng Physics in
"Real Life")
GALM Bariloche
IBFAN Bariloche - LLL Argentina

> Hi Ellen,
> I'd be really interested in the rationale behind the following....I'm
> guessing that it's concern about how long the radioactive agent stays
> around
> for?
> Karleen Gribble
> Australia
>
>>> From all of your advice, as well as Hale's recommendations, I plan to
>> recommend the following:
>>
>>> 6. Mom and I also have come to the conclusion that it would be
> unadvisable
>> for her to re-lactate after the treatment.

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