There are about 6 million pregnancies in the United States each year, and it’s estimated that 50% of pregnant women take at least one medicine. Physicians play an important role in helping their pregnant patients make informed health choices, especially when it comes to the safe use of medications.
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- Emphasize that patients should always talk to their health care provider before taking any medicines, herbs, or vitamins. The website provides tips on how to start the conversation with patients about what medicines, herbs, or vitamins to avoid when pregnant.
- Encourage patients to check the drug label and other information that comes with their medicine to learn about possible risks for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Assist pregnant patients with changing medications as needed.
- Advise pregnant patients if they need to take more or less of their medicines.
- Advise patients about medicines that can and cannot be used when they start breastfeeding.
- Encourage patients to talk about any problems they have with their medicine.
- Report any serious problems your pregnant patients have had after taking a medicine to the FDA. It falls to physicians to report to the FDA any cases of serious side effects, problems with product quality, and product-use errors or with any of the following products: human drugs, medical devices, blood products and other biologics (except vaccines), and/or medical foods.
- Encourage patients to enroll in a Pregnancy Exposure Registry, if applicable at the FDA website, which collects information on pregnancy outcomes in women who already are taking medications. Observational studies of the patients that physicians help enroll in a pregnancy exposure registry can improve drug safety information for medicines used during pregnancy and can be used to update drug labeling. The observational studies included with the registries can also help physicians make medicine recommendations for use during pregnancy. The list includes contact information for each registry. Physicians can check online to see if there is a registry for their patients’ medicine.
The FDA website also provides information about the Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Final Rule, which requires changes to the content and format for information presented in prescription drug labeling. The changes are implemented to help health care providers assess risk versus benefit and in subsequent counseling of pregnant women and nursing mothers.
The FDA offers free medicine safety and pregnancy resources for pregnant women, including downloadable infographics; a Medicines Record Keeper brochure in English, Spanish
Dr. Lynne Yao
Pregnancy is an exciting time for women, but they may have questions and concerns about how medicines they take will affect their babies. Our pregnancy website can help make a woman’s pregnancy happier and healthier.
Dr. Yao is the director of the division of pediatrics and maternal health, Office of Drug Evaluation IV, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, in Silver Spring, Md.