Consumer demand for information about the use of psychotropic agents for women of child-bearing age has increased considerably over the last decade, particularly in rural areas of Australia. This indicates a need to review current existing services, particularly for rural consumers.

No abstract

Galactagogues represent substances used to enhance breast milk production. Between 2001 and 2014 we identified 2034 phone calls regarding the use of galactagogues made to MotherSafe. The majority involved discussion of domperidone (n = 1884; 92.6%), with the remainder relating to metoclopramide (n = 153; 7.5%) or other herbal galactagogues (eg fenugreek, milk thistle; n = 262; 12.9%). A 50% decrease in total calls occurred from 2011 to 2014, while the percentage of calls regarding herbal galactagogues increased from 0% in 2001 to 23% in 2014. These findings support the need for more robust research surrounding the use of galactagogues in clinical practice.

No abstract

MotherSafe is a state‐wide service operating in New South Wales, Australia. MotherSafe offers counselling services for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers regarding the potential effects of exposure to medications, radiation, possible environmental hazards, street drugs or household products, as well as the effects of occupation upon pregnancy and breastfeeding outcomes. Consumers call MotherSafe to check advice having been given by healthcare professionals, only to find that the advice has been unnecessarily alarming to the woman, and in many cases it is incorrect purely because the advice that has been provided is based upon a construct that has considered the pregnancy categorisation of the drug as an absolute fact, or upon an assumption that information relevant to pregnancy is also applicable to breastfeeding as well. Outlined here are a series of issues that should be considered in the provision of advice on these issues as they relate to pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as a summary of the resources available to inform evidence‐based advice.