- Acute Flaccid Myelitis
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Arteriovenous Malformations
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Back Pain
- Brain Aneurysm
- Brain Tumors
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Childhood Brain Tumors
- Delirium
- Dementia
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Ischemic Stroke
- Memory
- Meningitis
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Movement Disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neuroblastoma
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome
- Speech and Language Problems in Children
- Stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack
- Tremor
- Walking Problems
- West Nile Virus
- A1C
- Blood Glucose
- Diabetes
- Diabetes and Pregnancy
- Diabetes Complications
- Diabetes in Children and Teens
- Diabetes Medicines
- Diabetes Type 1
- Diabetes Type 2
- Diabetic Diet
- Diabetic Eye Problems
- Diabetic Foot
- Diabetic Heart Disease
- Diabetic Kidney Problems
- Diabetic Nerve Problems
- How to Prevent Diabetes
- Hyperglycemia
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Prediabetes
- Abortion
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Diseases
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breastfeeding
- Cervical Cancer
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Cesarean Delivery
- Childbirth
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- Female Infertility
- Health Problems in Pregnancy
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
- HIV and Pregnancy
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- HPV
- Hysterectomy
- Infections and Pregnancy
- Mammography
- Mastectomy
- Menopause
- Menstruation
- Miscarriage
- Ovarian Cancer
- Ovarian Cysts
- Ovarian Disorders
- Pelvic Floor Disorders
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Pelvic Pain
- Period Pain
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Drug Use
- Pregnancy and Opioids
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Prenatal Care
- Prenatal Testing
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
- Sexual Problems in Women
- Stillbirth
- Teenage Pregnancy
- Trichomoniasis
- Tubal Ligation
- Uterine Cancer
- Uterine Diseases
- Uterine Fibroids
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Vaginal Cancer
- Vaginal Diseases
- Vaginitis
- Vulvar Cancer
- Vulvar Disorders
- Yeast Infections
- Alcohol
- Calcium
- Child Nutrition
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
- Cholesterol Medicines
- DASH Eating Plan
- Eating Disorders
- Food Allergy
- HDL: The “Good” Cholesterol
- High Cholesterol in Children and Teens
- How to Lower Cholesterol
- How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet
- Infant and Newborn Nutrition
- LDL: The “Bad” Cholesterol
- Malabsorption Syndromes
- Nutrition for Older Adults
- Pregnancy and Nutrition
- Toddler Nutrition
- Triglycerides
- VLDL Cholesterol
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
- Ataxia Telangiectasia
- Brain Malformations
- Cerebral Palsy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
- Chiari Malformation
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- Color Blindness
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Craniofacial Abnormalities
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- Friedreich Ataxia
- Genetic Counseling
- Hemophilia
- Huntington’s Disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Neural Tube Defects
- Neurofibromatosis
- Newborn Screening
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Pregnancy and Medicines
- Rett Syndrome
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Spina Bifida
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Tourette Syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis
- Usher Syndrome
- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Allergy
- Animal Bites
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Aplastic Anemia
- Asthma
- Asthma in Children
- Childhood Leukemia
- Childhood Vaccines
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- COVID-19 Vaccines
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Eosinophilic Disorders
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Hay Fever
- HIV
- HIV and Infections
- HIV in Women
- Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Infectious Diseases
- Infectious Mononucleosis
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Kawasaki Disease
- Lymphedema
- Lymphoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Pemphigus
- Pneumocystis Infections
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Tonsillitis
- Vaccines
- Viral Infections
- Adhesions
- Ankle Injuries and Disorders
- Arm Injuries and Disorders
- Back Injuries
- Brachial Plexus Injuries
- Burns
- Chest Injuries and Disorders
- Concussion
- CPR
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Dislocations
- Elbow Injuries and Disorders
- Eye Injuries
- Facial Injuries and Disorders
- Finger Injuries and Disorders
- Foot Injuries and Disorders
- Fractures
- Hand Injuries and Disorders
- Heel Injuries and Disorders
- Hip Injuries and Disorders
- Inhalation Injuries
- Insect Bites and Stings
- Jaw Injuries and Disorders
- Knee Injuries and Disorders
- Leg Injuries and Disorders
- Mosquito Bites
- Neck Injuries and Disorders
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Sprains and Strains
- Tick Bites
- Toe Injuries and Disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Wrist Injuries and Disorders
- Acute Bronchitis
- Bird Flu
- Chronic Bronchitis
- COPD
- COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019)
- Croup
- E-Cigarettes
- Fistulas
- Flu
- Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
- H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
- Legionnaires’ Disease
- Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
- Sleep Apnea
- Smoking
- Tuberculosis
- Whooping Cough
- Anatomy
- Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Birth Control
- Chlamydia Infections
- Circumcision
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Genital Herpes
- Genital Warts
- Gonorrhea
- Herpes Simplex
- Infertility
- Male Infertility
- Penis Disorders
- Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Prostate Diseases
- Reproductive Hazards
- Sexual Health
- Sexual Problems in Men
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Syphilis
- Testicular Cancer
- Testicular Disorders
- Vasectomy
- Abdominal Pain
- Bad Breath
- Bleeding
- Breathing Problems
- Bruises
- Chest Pain
- Choking
- Chronic Pain
- Constipation
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness and Vertigo
- Edema
- Fainting
- Fever
- Frostbite
- Gas
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Heat Illness
- Hives
- Hypothermia
- Indigestion
- Itching
- Jaundice
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Pain
- Rare Diseases
- Raynaud’s Disease
- Sciatica
- Speech and Communication Disorders
- Stuttering
Pregnancy and Medicines
Summary
Not all medicines are safe to take when you are pregnant. Some medicines can harm your baby. That includes over-the-counter or prescription drugs, herbs, and supplements.
Always speak with your health care provider before you start or stop any medicine. Not using medicine that you need may be more harmful to you and your baby than using the medicine. For example, many pregnant women take prescription medicines for health problems like diabetes, asthma, seizures, and heartburn. The decision about whether or not to take a medicine depends on the risks and benefits. You and your health care provider should make this choice together.
Pregnant women should not take regular vitamins. They may have too much or too little of the vitamins that you need. There are special vitamins for pregnant women. It is important to take 0.4 mg of folic acid every day before you become pregnant through the first part of your pregnancy. Folic acid helps to prevent birth defects of the baby’s brain or spine.
Food and Drug Administration
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Specifics
- Allergy Medications and Pregnancy: What’s Safe? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Antibiotics and Pregnancy: What’s Safe? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Antidepressants: Safe during Pregnancy? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Citalopram/Escitalopram (Celexa/Lexapro) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Exposure and Cancer National Cancer Institute
- Etanercept (Enbrel) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Fluconazole and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Ibuprofen and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICSs) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Isotretinoin (Accutane) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Isotretinoin and Other Retinoids during Pregnancy March of Dimes Foundation
- Lithium and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Metformin and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Miconazole/Clotrimazole and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Montelukast (Singulair) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- New Recommendations for Mefloquine Use in Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Paroxetine (Paxil) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Phentermine and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Prednisone/Prednisolone and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Pregnancy and Opioids: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
- Pregnancy Constipation: Are Stool Softeners Safe? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Pseudoephedrine, Phenylephrine and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Risk of oral clefts in children born to mothers taking Topamax (topiramate) Risk of Oral Clefts (Cleft Lip and/or Palate) in Infants Born to Mothers Taking Topamax (Topiramate) Food and Drug Administration
- Sertraline (Zoloft) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (Bactrim or Septra) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Tetracycline and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Thalidomide and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Topical Acne Treatments and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Trazodone (Desyrel) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Valproic Acid and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Venlafaxine (Effexor) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
Find an Expert
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- March of Dimes Foundation March of Dimes Foundation
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced National Institutes of Health
Treatments and Therapies
- Echinacea Preparations and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
Men
- Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
- Paternal Exposures and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
Related Issues
- Index to Drug-Specific Information Food and Drug Administration
- Prescription Opioids during Pregnancy March of Dimes Foundation
Start Here
- Medicine and Pregnancy Food and Drug Administration
- Pregnancy and Medicines Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health
- Prescription Medicine during Pregnancy March of Dimes Foundation
- Treating for Two: Medicine and Pregnancy: Basics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Statistics and Research
- Pregnancy Registries Food and Drug Administration
- Research on Medicines and Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention