Doxorubicin

Excerpt

Most sources consider breastfeeding to be contraindicated during maternal antineoplastic drug therapy, especially anthracyclines such as doxorubicin.[1] It might be possible to breastfeed safely during intermittent therapy with an appropriate period of breastfeeding abstinence; however, the high levels and persistence of the active metabolite doxorubicinol in milk make defining an appropriate abstinence interval difficult. Some have suggested a breastfeeding abstinence period of 5 to 10 days after a dose.[2,3] More recent pharmacokinetic modeling using a worst-case scenario suggests that 13 days would be required to minimize both systemic and gut toxicity after the colostral phase.[4]

Chemotherapy may adversely affect the normal microbiome and chemical makeup of breastmilk.[5] Women who receive chemotherapy during pregnancy are more likely to have difficulty nursing their infant.