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Can you take chondroitin while breastfeeding?

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the NIH/NLM Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) sourcesUpdated May 17, 2021How we research

What LactMed says

The National Library of Medicine’s own summary, quoted in full. We do not write a verdict of our own on this question, and we do not compress theirs into a label.

Chondroitin sulfate consists of a mixture of large glycosaminoglycans and disaccharide polymers, usually derived from shark or bovine cartilage. It is most commonly used to treat osteoarthritis. Chondroitin sulfate has no specific lactation-related uses. Chondroitin sulfate is poorly absorbed orally with a bioavailability of about 10%. It is well tolerated with occasional gastrointestinal upset reported. Although no studies exist on the use of chondroitin sulfate supplements during breastfeeding, small amounts occur naturally in breastmilk where it might have an inhibitory effect on microbial binding to cellular receptors in the infant or, helping prevent infections, or acting as an antioxidant to protect the infant from oxidative stress. Mothers of preterm infants excrete greater amounts of chondroitin into breastmilk than mothers of fullterm infants. The use of chondroitin by a nursing mother is unlikely to adversely affect the breastfed infant.

Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information about dietary supplements is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.

Quoted from Chondroitin — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, revised May 17, 2021.

How much chondroitin gets into breastmilk

Maternal Levels. Pooled human milk from healthy subjects was found to have an average chondroitin sulfate concentration of 231 mg/L, representing 55.5% of all human milk glycosaminoglycans.

A lactating woman with unilateral breast cancer had the breastmilk chondroitin sulfate content analyzed from each breast. Milk from the unaffected breast had chondroitin sulfate content similar to previous studies. Milk from the cancerous breast had a large increase in the chondroitin sulfate disaccharide sulfated in position 6 of N-acetylgalactosamine.

Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

What has been seen in breastfed infants

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Effects on milk supply

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Frequently asked questions

Can you take chondroitin while breastfeeding?

Chondroitin sulfate consists of a mixture of large glycosaminoglycans and disaccharide polymers, usually derived from shark or bovine cartilage. The full record is quoted on this page, and the decision is one to make with the person who prescribed it — LactMed itself states it is not a substitute for professional judgement.

Does chondroitin pass into breastmilk?

LactMed's measured drug levels for chondroitin are quoted in full on this page, under "How much gets into breastmilk".

Do I need to pump and dump after taking chondroitin?

LactMed does not frame its records that way — it reports measured drug levels in milk and what has been observed in breastfed infants, which is what this page quotes. "Pump and dump" advice for a specific drug and dose should come from your clinician or a pharmacist, not from a general rule.

More on chondroitin

LactMed states that the information it presents is not a substitute for professional judgement, and that you should consult your healthcare provider for breastfeeding advice related to your particular situation. Nothing on this page is medical advice.