TY - JOUR T1 - Are probiotics safe for use during pregnancy and lactation? JF - Canadian Family Physician JO - Can Fam Physician SP - 299 LP - 301 VL - 57 IS - 3 AU - Jackie Elias AU - Pina Bozzo AU - Adrienne Einarson Y1 - 2011/03/01 UR - http://www.cfp.ca/content/57/3/299.abstract N2 - Question There has been a great deal of discussion in both the medical and lay literature about the use of probiotics to improve general health. Subsequently, pregnant women have been asking me if probiotics used for treating conditions such as bacterial vaginosis and diarrhea are safe to use during pregnancy and lactation. Answer Current data suggest that probiotic supplementation is rarely systemically absorbed when used by healthy individuals. One meta-analysis and several randomized controlled trials conducted with women during the third trimester of pregnancy did not report an increase in adverse fetal outcomes. There have been no published studies addressing Saccharomyces species use in pregnancy. Probiotics are unlikely to be transferred into breast milk. ER -