Is Relugolix 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 Relugolix. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
No information is available on the clinical use of relugolix during breastfeeding. However, amounts in breastmilk appear to be low and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. If a mother requires relugolix, it is not a reason to discontinue breastfeeding, but until more data are available, it should only be used with careful infant monitoring during breastfeeding.
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.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Eight healthy lactating women who were at least 4 weeks postpartum took a single 40 mg dose of relugolix. Milk samples were obtained before the dose and at 11 intervals over the following 120 hours. The peak milk concentration averaged 15.7 mcg/L and occurred at 5.8 (range 2.8 to 8.8) hours. A total dose of 0.0051 mg (1.3% of the maternal dose) was excreted over the first 24 hours after the dose. The authors calculated a relative infant dose of 0.25% after the single dose. Relugolix has a long half-life, and its steady-state plasma concentration would be double that of a single dose. Therefore, with repeated dosing the RID would be approximately 0.5% at steady-state.[1,2]
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Relugolix 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 “Relugolix” (relugolix). 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.