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| Medication
Use During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding |
Many pregnant women or mothers who are breastfeeding worry about whether to
take medications - including prescription and over-the-counter drugs,
vitamins, and dietary or herbal supplements. They are afraid these could
harm their child. However, sometimes taking medication can’t be avoided.
Pregnancy and lactation are natural periods in a woman’s life.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can have short-term or long-term
health problems. Some of these require medication. Examples include asthma,
epilepsy, high blood pressure, and depression. Women with conditions such
as these may need medication to care for their own health and that of their
children.
In addition, women sometimes take medication before they realize they are
pregnant. Then they may worry about the effects of these medications on
their unborn child. This can lead to stress and anxiety because there is
not enough information available about most medications when taken during
pregnancy or while breastfeeding..
All prescription medications are tested to see if they are effective before
becoming available to the public. For ethical reasons, pregnant and
breastfeeding women are usually not included in these studies. As a result,
little information is available about the safety of most medications during
pregnancy or breastfeeding when they are first marketed. Fortunately,
before prescription drugs are marketed, pregnant animals are studied to
help identify harmful medications. But animal studies do not always show
how medications will work in humans. They might miss some effects that
medications have. And, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and dietary
or herbal supplements are not always tested.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) keeps track of possible problems
people have with medications, including pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The FDA makes sure that warning labels are included in the packages for
medications. They also send letters to health care providers about possible
problems with medications. Universities, drug manufacturers, private
professionals, and the government also do research to provide information
about the effects of medications on pregnant and breastfeeding women.
However, there is a critical need for more information. Women and health
care providers need this information to make informed decisions about
whether to use medications during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. They
also need information so they can decide how best to manage a mother’s
health while she is pregnant or breastfeeding.
The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at CDC
is committed to working with its partners and the public to build a
comprehensive approach to address these issues. Our goals for this approach
are to generate and interpret information about the effects of medications
during pregnancy and lactation; to make that information available to women
and health care providers; and to translate it into safe and effective
health care for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Date: October 29, 2004
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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