Not enough is known about prescription drug use in pregnancy, say experts

April 27, 2012 in Obstetrics & gynaecology

Prescription drug use during pregnancy is prevalent, however, not enough is known about the adverse effects they may have on the developing fetus, concludes a new review published in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG) today.

The majority of take prescriptions for pregnancy-related complaints and minor infections. However, a small proportion of women receive medication for treatment for chronic diseases such as asthma, depression or hypertension.

The prevalence of congenital malformations is estimated at 2𔃁% of all births, of which approximately 1% are considered attributable to prescription during pregnancy, states the review.

Two common groups of drugs, anti-epileptics and antidepressants are explored in the review.

Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are the most studied group of drugs in pregnancy, with an estimated 1 in 250 pregnancies exposed.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines state that it is not possible to comment on the risks of physical abnormalities from the drugs in view of the limited data available.

The review also looks at preliminary data collated from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register which found that the risk of congenital malformations with the use of one AED was 3.7% (n = 2598), compared with 6.0% (n = 770) in those women taking two or more AEDs.

Up to 4% of women use antidepressants during pregnancy, with 2.3% taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

A large birth defect registry study found no association between maternal SSRI use and cardiac malformations. However, the review states that antidepressant use in late pregnancy is associated with neonatal complications such as premature birth, feeding problems, respiratory distress syndrome, endocrine and metabolic disorders and temperature regulation disorders.

The review concludes that our evidence base for using prescription drugs in pregnancy remains limited and that companies do not recruit pregnant women to their clinical trials unless the drug in question is aimed at pregnancy-related disease.

Alastair Sutcliffe, Reader in Child Health, UCL Institute of Child Health and co-author of the review said:

"Many pregnant women use , however, the risk to the fetus remains unknown.

"Pregnant women are excluded from clinical trials, which means when new drugs are released there is almost no information on their safety and efficacy in pregnancy."

TOG's Editor –in-Chief, Jason Waugh said:

"The maternal physiological changes that occur during can alter what the body does to the drug in some cases. More research is needed into the fetal effects of some drugs as there are big gaps in our knowledge."

Provided by Wiley search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Iodine deficiency during pregnancy may adversely affect children's mental development

A study of around 1,000 UK mothers and their children, published in The Lancet, has revealed that iodine deficiency in pregnancy may have an adverse effect on children's mental development. The research raises concerns that t ...

Obstetrics & gynaecology created 15 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

72 percent of pregnant women experience constipation and other bowel problems

Nearly three out of four pregnant women experience constipation, diarrhea or other bowel disorders during their pregnancies, a Loyola University Medical Center study has found.

Obstetrics & gynaecology created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Women's reproductive ability may be related to immune system status

New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females.

Obstetrics & gynaecology created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Breakthrough for IVF?

Elsevier today announced the publication of a recent study in Reproductive BioMedicine Online on 5-day old human blastocysts showing that those with an abnormal chromosomal composition can be identified by the rate at whic ...

Obstetrics & gynaecology created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Non-communicable diseases account for half of adult female deaths in rural Bangladesh

While global attention has for decades been focused on reducing maternal mortality, population-based data on other causes of death among women of reproductive age has been virtually non-existent. A study conducted by researchers ...

Obstetrics & gynaecology created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Addiction to unhealthy foods could help explain the global obesity epidemic

Research presented today shows that high-fructose corn syrup can cause behavioural reactions in rats similar to those produced by drugs of abuse such as cocaine. These results, presented by addiction expert Francesco Leri, ...

Study shows low rate of late lumen loss with bioresorbable DESolve device

The DESolve bioresorbable coronary scaffold system achieves good efficacy and safety with low rates of late lumen loss and major coronary adverse events at six months, show first results from the pivotal DESolve Nx trial ...

Study finds COPD is over-diagnosed among uninsured patients

More than 40 percent of patients being treated for COPD at a federally funded clinic did not have the disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with spirometry, the diagnostic "gold standard" for chronic obstructive ...

Registry questions superiority of bivalirudin over heparin

Results from a large observational study reported at EuroPCR 2013 today question whether bivalirudin is superior to heparin in the absence of GPIIb/IIIa blockade, showing similar 30-day mortality in patients with non-ST segment ...

New blood-thinner measures may cut medication errors

Blood thinners are the preferred treatment option to prevent heart attacks, blood clots and stroke, but they are not without risk, and not just because of their side effects. These high-risk drugs, known as anticoagulants, ...

Small increase in cancer risk following CT scans in childhood and adolescence

Study leader, Professor John Mathews from the University of Melbourne said this small increase in cancer risk must be weighed against the undoubted benefits from CT scans in diagnosing and monitoring disease.