Antibiotics during pregnancy

Categories of Drugs used in Pregnancy

All medications, including antibiotics, are sorted into severaldifferent categories according to the safety when used in pregnant women. Thecategories are known as A, B, C and D. Antibiotics in category A are the safestof all antibiotics that can be used by pregnant women. This is because these medicationsare proven not to cause any harm to the unborn child (or fetus), not evenduring the first trimester of pregnancy. However, there are very few antibioticdrugs that fall into this category.

Antibiotics from category B are also safe to be used inpregnant women. Many of known antibiotics fall in category B, and thesemedications show no evidence to be associated with complications duringpregnancy or to cause birth defects in children.

Category C antibiotics should be avoided during pregnancy,because there is not sufficient data about the effects these drugs might haveon the unborn child.

In category D are antibiotics that should be avoidedcompletely in expecting women. The only reason for taking these drugs should beinability to switch to some different medications.

Penicillin, cephalosporins and erythromycin are consideredsafe to be used in pregnancy. Doctors advise taking regular doses ofmultivitamins with these antibiotics. Urinary tract infections, for example,should be treated with antibiotics, but these pregnant women are advised totake prenatal vitamins or at least 400mg of folic acid.

Antibiotics against respiratory infections, acne andtuberculosis should not be used during pregnancy. These medications are known tocause teeth discoloration or even harm the hearing of your child (anti-tuberculosisdrugs).

Antibiotics for Pregnant Women

Pregnant women are always in doubt whether they should takeany medicine or not while in this condition. In general, women are advised toavoid medications in early days of the pregnancy, even some relatively mildpainkillers such as Aspirin or ibuprofen. After first trimester, it is notrecommended to use drugs, unless the benefits for the mother are greater thanthe potential harm for the unborn child. Your doctors (gynecologist andobstetrician) should decide about any medication you are about to take inpregnancy, and it’s always advisable to consult them.

Every doctor treating pregnant woman will consider the typeof antibiotic medication he/she is prescribing to his/her patient and thedosage of the drug. Also, duration of medications is also something to thinkabout, as well as the trimester of pregnancy in which a particular patient is. Longterm use of antibiotic drugs is linked to fetus deformities and in some casesit has been identified as the cause of miscarriage.