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Are probiotics safe while breastfeeding?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

No NIH or FDA page we read gives a statement on a mother's probiotic supplement during breastfeeding, and the NIH LactMed database has no probiotics entry that we could find. A review of 100 studies in pregnancy and lactation found no serious adverse effects, but few trials reported safety. Ask your doctor first, especially if your baby was born early.1,2

Key facts

  • NIH says there are no official recommendations that cover probiotic use by healthy people, and suggests asking a health care provider which probiotic to choose.3
  • A 2021 review of 100 studies of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics taken by mothers from pregnancy to a year after birth found no serious adverse effects for mother or infant.1
  • About half of those studies reported nothing about safety, and only 11 reported adverse effects, mostly gut symptoms in the mother.1
  • A 2023 pooled analysis of 24 randomized trials in 2,761 pregnant or lactating mothers looked mainly at breast milk and infant gut bacteria.4
  • FDA has warned that probiotics given to preterm infants can cause invasive, potentially fatal infection.5

Is there an official statement on probiotics and breastfeeding?

We did not find one. NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements and NCCIH write about probiotics in general, and neither page we read addresses a mother who is breastfeeding. The NIH Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) has no probiotics entry. That means there is no official statement on the question, and no official statement that a probiotic is a problem either.2,3

What NCCIH does say is that probiotics have a long history of apparently safe use in healthy people, that few studies have looked at safety in detail, and that anyone with health problems should talk to a health care provider before starting.2

What have reviews of trials in lactating mothers found?

A 2021 systematic review collected 100 studies in which the mother took a probiotic, prebiotic or synbiotic, with start times that ran from the first trimester to a year after birth. Its authors reported no deaths and no serious adverse effects in mothers or infants. The effects that were reported were mostly digestive, and one trial of two Lactobacillus strains, taken in pregnancy, found more vaginal discharge and softer stools.1

A 2023 meta-analysis pooled 24 randomized trials in 2,761 mothers and 1,756 infants. Its question was how maternal probiotics change the bacteria in breast milk and in the infant's gut, and its authors described the supplements as coming with a range of benefits and with safety. Reading it for safety alone is difficult, because safety was not its main outcome.4

Reviews call the overall safety record of probiotics excellent for healthy people, but note that trials report safety inconsistently and that how often rare harms occur is not well described.6,7

What cannot these reviews tell a nursing parent?

  • They cannot say which strain or brand is involved. NCCIH says a result for one kind of probiotic does not mean another will behave the same way, and some products contain organisms that are not on the label.2
  • They cannot rule out a rare problem. Roughly half of the studies in the 2021 review gave no safety information, and most that did gave no timing or severity.1
  • They do not address a premature or hospitalized baby. FDA says probiotic products used in hospitals for preterm infants contributed to invasive disease, including one infant death in 2023, and none of the sources we read tested whether a mother's supplement reaches such an infant.5

Rarely, probiotics have been linked to bacteria or fungi in the blood and to infections causing severe illness, mostly in people who were severely ill or had weakened immune systems.2,8

Who should ask their doctor first while breastfeeding?

  • A parent whose baby was born early or has a medical condition should ask the baby's doctor before starting a probiotic.
  • A parent with a weakened immune system, or who is seriously ill, should ask their own doctor.
  • A parent who takes an antibiotic or antifungal medicine can ask a pharmacist whether it matters for a probiotic, because NIH says those medicines might reduce a probiotic's effect.9

Questions people ask

Is probiotics safe while breastfeeding?

There is no official statement on it, and LactMed has no entry. A review of 100 studies from pregnancy to a year after birth found no serious adverse effects, but half the studies said nothing about safety. Ask your doctor.1,2

Is probiotics safe during breastfeeding if my baby was born early?

FDA warns that probiotic products given to preterm infants have caused invasive, potentially fatal infections. The sources we read did not test a mother's supplement, so ask your baby's doctor.5

Are probiotics safe while nursing a healthy baby?

The reviews report no serious problems for infants whose mothers took probiotics, with the limits above. Ask your doctor before starting.1,4

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Sources

  1. Sheyholislami H, Connor KL. Are probiotics and prebiotics safe for use during pregnancy and lactation? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2021;13(7):2382. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Probiotics: Usefulness and Safety. Last updated August 2019. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Probiotics: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated November 17, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Alemu BK, Azeze GG, Wu L, Lau SL, Wang CC, Wang Y. Effects of maternal probiotic supplementation on breast milk microbiome and infant gut microbiome and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023;5(11):101148. Opened 2026-10-11.
  5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Raises Concerns About Probiotic Products Sold for Use in Hospitalized Preterm Infants. News release, October 26, 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Boyle RJ, Robins-Browne RM, Tang ML. Probiotic use in clinical practice: what are the risks? Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(6):1256-1264. Opened 2026-10-07.
  7. Doron S, Snydman DR. Risk and safety of probiotics. Clin Infect Dis. 2015;60(Suppl 2):S129-S134. Opened 2026-10-07.
  8. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Probiotics: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated March 25, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  9. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Dietary Supplements for Immune Function and Infectious Diseases: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated March 10, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.