Medication Use and Pregnancy > Fast Facts

Fast Facts About Medication Use During Pregnancy and While Breastfeeding

Surveys have estimated that:

• About 82% of women in their childbearing years (ages 18 to 44) use a medication, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs; vitamins, minerals, or herbal supplements; topical medicines or eye drops. About 46% of these women use a prescription medication. ¹
   

• In 1998-99, the most common medications taken by women in their childbearing years (ages 18 to 44) were:¹

  • Acetaminophen, which is commonly used for pain relief

  • Ibuprofen, another common pain reliever

  • estrogen (estradiol), a hormone found in many birth control pills

  • pseudoephedrine, a decongestant

  • aspirin, another common pain reliever
     

• Almost half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended.² Many women take medication in the early weeks of pregnancy before realizing they are pregnant.
   

• About 59% of pregnant women are prescribed a medication other than a vitamin or mineral supplement.³ Use of over-the-counter medication during pregnancy may be even higher.
   

• About 13% of pregnant women take a dietary or herbal supplement other than multivitamins or folic acid. The effects of most herbal supplements in pregnancy have not been studied. Herbal supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).⁴
   

• Breastfeeding has become more common in recent years, due in part to the many known health benefits to babies and mothers. In 2003, almost 71% of mothers breastfed their infant at some time and 36% continued to breastfeed for at least 6 months.⁵ This is an increase from 1990, when 51% of mothers began breastfeeding in the hospital and 17% continued to breastfeed for at least 6 months.⁶ While most medications probably do not harm a baby when taken while breastfeeding, their effects have not been fully studied. ⁷

While avoiding medications when pregnant or breastfeeding may be desirable, it is often not possible. Medications are needed to treat conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, high blood pressure, or depression. Failure to manage conditions like these may affect the health of both the mother and her infant.

A study in 2001 found there was not enough information about the risk or safety of more than 90% of medications approved by the FDA between 1980 and 2000 when taken during pregnancy.⁸ This makes it difficult for women and health care providers to decide whether to use medication during pregnancy. Clearly, more and better information is needed.


References

1. Kaufman DW, Kelly JP, Rosenberg L, et al. Recent patterns of medication use in the ambulatory adult population of the United States: the Slone survey. JAMA 2002;287(3):337-44.

2. Henshaw SK. Unintended pregnancy in the United States. Fam Plann Perspect 1998;30(1):24-9, 46.

3. Andrade SE, Gurwitz JH, Davis RL, et al. Prescription drug use in pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004;191(2):398-407.

4. Tsui B, Dennehy CE, Tsourounis C. A survey of dietary supplement use during pregnancy at an academic medical center. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185(2):433-7.

5. 2003 National Immunization Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/NIS_data/index.htm  (accessed 6/13/05). 

6. Ryan AS, Wenjun Z, Acosta A. Breastfeeding continues to increase into the new millennium. Pediatrics 2002;110(6):1103-9.

7. American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Drugs. Transfer of drugs and other chemicals into human milk. Pediatrics 2001;108(3):776-89.

8. Lo WY, Friedman JM. Teratogenicity of recently introduced medications in human pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2002;100(3):465-73.
   
    

Date: October 29, 2004
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities