Breast Feeding and Sclerotherapy

The most common type of sclerosants used in Australia today for the treatment of varicose veins and spider veins involving the legs are the detergent sclerosants. These are small lipid soluble molecules which can theoretically pass into breast milk in minute amounts. There is no evidence that they will do any harm to the baby but then again there is no conclusive evidence regarding their safety.  However detergent sclerosants are very quickly metabolized by the liver and excreted by the kidney, so it is safe to resume breast feeding very soon after treatment.  At The Leg Vein Doctor we recommend to breast feeding mothers that they use a breast pump and store expressed breast milk prior to treatment which can then be used for the first feed after treatment. Normal breast feeding can resume twelve hours after treatment.

Hypertonic saline is a less commonly used sclerosing agent, but it is safe to use during breast feeding.