Pregnancy and lactation in homozygous beta-thalassemia major.

Successful pregnancies in patients with transfusion-dependent homozygous beta-thalassemia major are rare. We report the course of a pregnancy and newborn data during lactation and desferrioxamine therapy in the mother. The twin-pregnancy was complicated by preeclampsia. Besides normal iron level in breast milk, no clinical or hematological abnormalities due to desferrioxamine therapy could be shown in the newborns. Our observation suggests that chelating therapy during lactation does not alter iron excretion in breast milk or iron metabolism in offsprings. Breast feeding in newborns from patients with thalassemia major and desferrioxamine therapy seems justified.