Medication Exposures 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