The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
From the FDA Office Of Women's Health
On this page:
Are you pregnant and taking medicines? You are not alone. There are about 6 million pregnancies in the U.S. each year, and 80% of women who are pregnant say that they take at least one medicine. Some may be getting treatment for a health problem they had before pregnancy, while others take medicines for health problems, like diabetes, morning sickness, or high blood pressure, that can start or get worse during pregnancy. Still others take medicines or get a vaccine before they find out they are pregnant.
Pregnancy can be an exciting time. It can also make you feel uneasy if you are not sure whether the medicines you are taking may affect your developing fetus. Many medicines are safe to use during pregnancy. For other medicines, there may be less information about whether they are safe to use during pregnancy.
Here are some tips to help you learn more about how prescription and over-the-counter medicines might affect you and your baby.
Always talk with your health care provider before you take any medicines, dietary supplements, or vitamins.
Consider asking these questions when talking with your health care provider:
Prenatal vitamins
Talk with your health care provider about taking prenatal vitamins. Some prenatal vitamins may have too much or too little of what you might need during pregnancy.
What is folic acid? Folic acid helps to prevent birth defects of the baby’s brain or spine. Ask your health care provider about how much folic acid you should take before you become pregnant and through the first part of your pregnancy.
Check the medicine label and other information you get with your medicine to learn about the possible risks during pregnancy. The label tells you what is known about how the medicine might affect you and your developing fetus.
Find information on a certain medicine
Prescription medicine information
Prescription medicine labels contain helpful information about a medicine’s risks during pregnancy. The labels may also have information on whether the medicine gets into breast milk and how it could possibly affect the baby.
Ask your health care provider about the information you read online. Some websites say certain medicines are or are not safe to take during pregnancy. You should always check with your health care provider first. Do not trust that a product is safe just because it says “natural.”
Resources
Marijuana, CBD, and THC
FDA wants to ensure that individuals are aware of the serious risks of using cannabis products, including the use of cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and marijuana in any form during pregnancy or while breastfeeding/lactating due to possible risks to you and the newborn.
Using any form of cannabis products while pregnant can affect fetal brain development, increase the risk of a newborn with low birth weight, premature birth, and potentially still birth. Breastmilk can contain THC for up to six days after use. Consuming breastmilk containing THC may affect a newborn’s brain development and result in hyperactivity, poor cognitive function, and other long-term consequences. Research has shown that there are also risks to you such as gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and placental abruption.
Cannabis products claiming to be, or promoted as, treatments for relief of pain, anxiety, or morning sickness are not FDA-approved and are being sold with unproven claims.
First, tell your health care provider about any problems you have with your medicine. Also, tell FDA about any serious problems you have after taking a medicine.
You should report problems like serious side effects and product quality problems. You should also report product use errors, such as accidentally taking the wrong dose or wrong medicine, that are related to unclear use or dosing instructions. Report problems or use errors with these products:
How to report
Pregnancy exposure registries are research studies that collect information about the effect that prescription medicines taken or vaccines received during pregnancy may have on you and your developing fetus. These studies collect information from women who are pregnant and who are taking or have taken a certain medicine or received a certain vaccine while pregnant. Some pregnancy exposure registries collect information from women who are pregnant but have not taken a certain medicine or received a certain vaccine. Some pregnancy exposure registry studies also collect information about newborn babies for a period of time after birth.
You can volunteer to join a pregnancy exposure registry (if one is open and enrolling). The information collected can help health care providers and pregnant women learn more about the safety of medicines and vaccines used during pregnancy.
To learn more about pregnancy exposure registries visit www.fda.gov/pregnancyregistries