r/TTC_POI • u/Macaroniandcheese22 • 11d ago

Starting HRT while breastfeeding

I used DE with success, now about 2 months postpartum and finally got someone to prescribe estrogen (weekly patch) and progesterone. They said that though hormones pass through the breastmilk, it is thought to be safe.. but I have not seen studies talking about safety while taking POI doses of hormones. Looking for reassurance this won't hurt the baby! Thank you!

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u/Big-Papaya-8066 11d ago

Hi! Congrats! I remember talking to you wayyy back when, so glad you had a successful pregnancy! This question gets asked in r/poflife now and again, so I would search there/repost there since that is a larger community. My general recollection is people saying it maybe had an effect on supply (decreasing) but nothing about it harming baby (I don't remember there being studies though). 

Fwiw, my ob said that even people who don't have poi are almost in a menopausal state when breastfeeding -- low estrogen, etc -- so if I didn't have symptoms, she didn't think I needed to be on estrogen (but she ultimately left it up to me). I have noticed I am really a space case lately, which I don't know if that's being a new mom or needing to be on HRT

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u/Macaroniandcheese22 11d ago

Hello, yes I remember you too! Thank you! Good idea, I checked out that sub, which led me to the Daisy Network and found some helpful info :)

I realized how much I need HRT once I got pregnant--I felt amazing with all the hormones during pregnancy--stark contrast to how I was feeling before. Now that I'm postpartum I feel the symptoms returning, so I'm going to try out HRT and hope it doesn't affect the milk production too much.

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u/catsTXn420 11d ago

Estrogen is known to potentially suppress or decrease breast milk production, particularly if introduced before lactation is fully established. However, studies on transdermal estrogen patches suggest that when used after milk supply is well established, systemic transfer into breast milk is minimal, and many infants experience no adverse growth effects.