IBCLC Exam Prep Questions and Answers
(Latest Update 2025)
What is the first question to consider when helping a
breastfeeding mother with a medication question?
A) What is the relative infant dose of the medication?
B) What is the protein binding of the medication?
C) What is the molecular weight of the medication?
D) Is the medication really necessary to take now? - Correct
Answer ✅D
Which drug property results in more transfer of the drug into
the mother's milk?
A) Molecular weight >800 Daltons
B) High protein binding
C) High lipid solubility
D) Low maternal plasma concentration - Correct Answer
✅C
When it comes to medications and breastfeeding, drugs with
a shorter half-life are preferred. How many half-lives until it is
generally considered that the drug is eliminated from the
system?
,IBCLC Exam Prep Questions and Answers
(Latest Update 2025)
A) 3
B) 5
C) 7
D) 9 - Correct Answer ✅B
If a woman is given 80 mg of a drug to treat a urinary tract
infection - and the drug has a half-life of 3 hours - how much
will be left in her system after 3 half-lives?
A) 40 mg
B) 20 mg
C) 10 mg
D) 5 mg - Correct Answer ✅C
What is considered a high enough molecular weight that the
medication will be too big to easily get into the breast milk
compartment?
A) 200 Daltons
B) 300 Daltons
C) 400 Daltons
D) More than 800 Daltons - Correct Answer ✅D
,IBCLC Exam Prep Questions and Answers
(Latest Update 2025)
Drugs can be highly bound to albumin, a large protein in the
blood circulation, and therefore too big to get into the breast
milk space. What percentage of protein binding is considered
high and therefore preferred?
A) 40%
B) 60%
C) 80%
D) >90% - Correct Answer ✅D
While most drugs are compatible with breastfeeding, a few
are not. Which type of drug is usually contraindicated for
breastfeeding?
A) Antibiotic
B) Antidepressant
C) Chemotherapy
D) Diabetic therapy - Correct Answer ✅C
A Relative Infant Dose (RID) of _____ indicates compatibility
with breastfeeding.
, IBCLC Exam Prep Questions and Answers
(Latest Update 2025)
A) <10%
B) >10% - Correct Answer ✅A) <10%
A good resource to use to figure out if a medicine is
compatible with breastfeeding is:
A) The Physician Desk Reference (PDR)
B) The medicine package insert
C) Google
D) LactMed - Correct Answer ✅D) LactMed
In Hale's Medications and Mothers' Milk, which lactation risk
category is the safest?
A) L1
B) L2
C) L4
D) L5 - Correct Answer ✅A
In Hale's Medications and Mothers' Milk, what lactation risk
category does a medication go into if there is absolutely no
(Latest Update 2025)
What is the first question to consider when helping a
breastfeeding mother with a medication question?
A) What is the relative infant dose of the medication?
B) What is the protein binding of the medication?
C) What is the molecular weight of the medication?
D) Is the medication really necessary to take now? - Correct
Answer ✅D
Which drug property results in more transfer of the drug into
the mother's milk?
A) Molecular weight >800 Daltons
B) High protein binding
C) High lipid solubility
D) Low maternal plasma concentration - Correct Answer
✅C
When it comes to medications and breastfeeding, drugs with
a shorter half-life are preferred. How many half-lives until it is
generally considered that the drug is eliminated from the
system?
,IBCLC Exam Prep Questions and Answers
(Latest Update 2025)
A) 3
B) 5
C) 7
D) 9 - Correct Answer ✅B
If a woman is given 80 mg of a drug to treat a urinary tract
infection - and the drug has a half-life of 3 hours - how much
will be left in her system after 3 half-lives?
A) 40 mg
B) 20 mg
C) 10 mg
D) 5 mg - Correct Answer ✅C
What is considered a high enough molecular weight that the
medication will be too big to easily get into the breast milk
compartment?
A) 200 Daltons
B) 300 Daltons
C) 400 Daltons
D) More than 800 Daltons - Correct Answer ✅D
,IBCLC Exam Prep Questions and Answers
(Latest Update 2025)
Drugs can be highly bound to albumin, a large protein in the
blood circulation, and therefore too big to get into the breast
milk space. What percentage of protein binding is considered
high and therefore preferred?
A) 40%
B) 60%
C) 80%
D) >90% - Correct Answer ✅D
While most drugs are compatible with breastfeeding, a few
are not. Which type of drug is usually contraindicated for
breastfeeding?
A) Antibiotic
B) Antidepressant
C) Chemotherapy
D) Diabetic therapy - Correct Answer ✅C
A Relative Infant Dose (RID) of _____ indicates compatibility
with breastfeeding.
, IBCLC Exam Prep Questions and Answers
(Latest Update 2025)
A) <10%
B) >10% - Correct Answer ✅A) <10%
A good resource to use to figure out if a medicine is
compatible with breastfeeding is:
A) The Physician Desk Reference (PDR)
B) The medicine package insert
C) Google
D) LactMed - Correct Answer ✅D) LactMed
In Hale's Medications and Mothers' Milk, which lactation risk
category is the safest?
A) L1
B) L2
C) L4
D) L5 - Correct Answer ✅A
In Hale's Medications and Mothers' Milk, what lactation risk
category does a medication go into if there is absolutely no
