Table 4 Women’s concerns and behaviour towards use of medicines while breastfeeding
From: Postpartum women’s use of medicines and breastfeeding practices: a systematic review
Authors and year of publication | Women’s concerns and behaviour towards use of medicines while breastfeeding |
|---|---|
Schirm et al., 2004, Netherlands [39] | 297 women used medicine. 30 % of them hesitated to take a medicine while breastfeeding. Almost 10 % of 297 women (breastfeeding yes, medicine yes) stopped either breastfeeding or medicine use. 17 % of 154 women (breastfeeding yes, medicine no) indicated they would have used medicine if they were not breastfeeding. About 12 % of 78 women (breastfeeding no, medicine yes) mentioned medicine use as the reason for not breastfeeding. |
A cross-sectional survey of postpartum women about their medicine use and breastfeeding | |
n = 549 | |
Lee et al., 2000, Canada [43] | 60 % of 20 formula feeding women mentioned that physicians’ advice or their concern about the medicine was the primary reason for not breastfeeding. Women given advice by their physician in favor of breastfeeding were more likely to breastfeed than women not given this advice (Relative Risk: 5.48; 95 % CI: 1.28–23.40). |
A cohort study of women requiring propylthiouracil | |
n = 36 (exposure group) | |
Ito, 1999, Canada [47] | 19 women (22 %) did not start the medicine of concern while breastfeeding despite their need for medicine. |
A cohort study of medicine use in breastfeeding women who had concern for their medicines | |
n = 88 | |
Ito et al., 1995, Canada [48] | 50 % (17/34) of women did not initiate breastfeeding and chose to formula feed and 88 % of them mentioned medicine was the reason of formula feeding. |
A cohort study of antiepileptics | |
n = 34 (exposure group) | |
Ito et al., 1993, Canada [51] | 125 (62 %) women were followed within 32 weeks. 19 (15 %) women did not initiate the antibiotic therapy. 21 % women either did not start the required medicine or stopped breastfeeding while taking medicine. |
A cohort study of antibiotic use and breastfeeding | |
n = 203 | |
Matheson et al., 1990, Norway [53] | 17 % women showed more doubts about medicine use during lactation than during pregnancy. 33 % had similar risk perception about medicine use in pregnancy and lactation. |
A survey of medicine use in postpartum women | |
n = 885 |