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Prescription Drugs and Pregnancy: What Are the Risks?
Everyone knows that taking prescription drugs while pregnant can put both the mother and her unborn child at risk. Everyone also knows - or should know - that some drugs are safer than others. The question is, how often do pregnant women receive drugs that might compromise their health, or put their children's lives in danger? That's what a team of researchers in the U.S. tried to answer.
In their study, the authors looked at the health records of more than 152,000 women to determine the number and types of drugs they received before and during pregnancy. The drugs were divided into five categories developed by the Food and Drug Administration, according to their risk to the developing fetus. Category X medications were considered by the FDA as drugs that possessed a "definite fetal risk" that clearly outweighed any benefits.
Results: Sixty-four percent of the women received at least one drug or medical supply other than a vitamin or mineral supplement. Over 47 percent of the women received a drug from the three riskiest categories. Using these figures as a blueprint, the authors estimated that of the 4 million women who deliver a child in the United States each year, "as many as 280,000 ... are exposed to drugs with evidence of potential fetal risk."
If you or someone you know is pregnant, please make sure to talk with your doctor about the risks of any medications before you start taking them. Also, make sure to provide your doctor with a list of any drugs, herbal remedies or dietary supplements you are currently taking, to help reduce the risk of side-effects or potential interactions.
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