Is Magnetic Resonance Imaging safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnetic fields and radio waves to obtain images. These are present only during the short time that the image is being taken and leave no radiation, radioactivity or magnetism in the body or in the milk. MRI scans have no known effect on the milk in the breast at the time of imaging. No special precautions are required.
For information on contrast media used with MRI imaging, see the LactMed entry for the specific contrast agent.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Magnetic Resonance Imaging is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Magnetic Resonance Imaging” (LM564). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.