Please read this information carefully in conjunction with your appointment letter and the nuclear medicine test patient information leaflet.
Your doctor would like you to have a Nuclear Medicine Scan. There are special instructions you need to follow if you are breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding advice
It is important that you follow these instructions:
- At least one feed may be stored in advance of the test by expressing your milk
- Feed your baby normally just before the start of the test
- At each feed time for ______ hours after your test express your breast milk fully from both breasts and discard it. This milk should not be used.
- After this period of time you can go back to breastfeeding your baby normally.
At: __________
On: __________
Why does the scan affect breast feeding?
As part of the scan you will be given a small amount of radioactivity. Some of it may go into your breast milk.
If your baby drank this milk, he/she would also drink a small amount of radioactivity and it is best to reduce this as much as possible.
Why use radioactivity at all?
Different types of tests show different sort of things and your doctor considers that a radioisotope test is the best test in your case.
How much radiation will my baby get?
If you follow the specific advice given by the Nuclear Medicine Department for the test you are having, then your baby will get only a very small radiation dose.
However, even if you did not follow this advice, the radiation dose your baby receives will increase slightly but will still be a small amount.
Why must I stop breastfeeding for a few hours?
This is to keep the radioactivity your baby gets from your milk to a very low level.
This can be done either by waiting for some time before resuming breastfeeding, or by expressing fully from both breasts and discarding your milk until you can resume breastfeeding normally.
What and how shall I feed my baby with instead?
If you have the chance, express your milk before the start of the test, store it and use it later to feed your baby or you can use formula milk.
If you need help with expressing, storing your milk, or feeding your baby, please ask your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding counsellor.
If you have more questions about the test you will be having, or about how long a period you will have to interrupt breast feeding, please contact the Nuclear Medicine Department.
Complete by the operator
Signature: _________________________________________________________
Date: _______________
Patient Name: ______________________________________________________
Date and time of test: _______________________________________________
Hosptial/Department: ________________________________________________
Type of test: _________________________________________________________
Radiopharmaceutical/Activity: _________________________________________
Other sources of information
National Breastfeeding Helpline
0300 100 0212
www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk
The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers Helpline
0300 330 5453
www.abm.me.uk
La Leche League Helpline
0345 120 2918
www.laleche.org.uk
If you require further information, please contact:
Nuclear Medicine Department
Salford Royal Hospital
Stott Lane
Salford M6 8HD
0161 206 4861
Email: Radio.isotopes@nca.nhs.uk
Date of Review: March 2025
Date of Next Review: March 2027
Ref No: PI_DP_1723 (Salford)