Managing Allergies During Lactation: Patterns of Medication Use and Risk Assessment Among Breastfeeding Women

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Allergy and Immunology
• Maternal and Child Health

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of allergic diseases and medication use in breastfeeding women.
• Understudied concern regarding medication safety during lactation.
• Need to assess allergy prevalence and medication safety in breastfeeding populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Determine allergy prevalence in breastfeeding women.
• Assess medication utilization and safety for allergy symptom relief.
• Describe pharmacist interventions in community pharmacies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study within the "Mama Friendly Pharmacy" initiative.
• Data collection via questionnaires (sociodemographic, clinical, pharmacotherapy).
• Medication safety assessment using the e-lactancia database.

Main Results:

• Allergy identified as the most common condition (12.2%) in 515 breastfeeding women.
• Women with allergies were more likely to use respiratory medications (antihistamines) and less likely to use anti-infectives.
• All medications used were safe for lactation (relative infant doses <10%); pharmacists intervened in 41.3% of symptomatic women.

Conclusions:

• Allergies are a significant health concern during breastfeeding.
• Pharmacist-led counseling is crucial for safe and optimized pharmacotherapy.
• Interventions enhance evidence-based medication use and maintain infant safety.