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\nPregnant women should not stop or start taking any type of medicine that they need without first talking with a healthcare provider. Women who are planning to become pregnant should discuss the need for any medicine with their healthcare provider before becoming pregnant and ensure they are taking only medicines that are necessary.
\nIn a new CDC study, researchers identified the medicines most commonly used by women during the first trimester (first three months) of pregnancy. They also looked at the gaps in information about the safety or risk of using these medicines during pregnancy. These gaps in knowledge limit the ability for women and their health care providers to make informed decisions about the use of medication during pregnancy. You can read the article\u2019s abstract hereExternal \n . Read more below for a summary of the findings from this article.
\nBirth control pills
A medicine to prevent pregnancy
Amoxicillin
A medicine to treat infections
Progesterone
A hormone to treat many conditions
Albuterol
A medicine to help control asthma
Promethazine
A medicine to help with allergies or nausea
Acetaminophen
A medicine to help with pain \u2013 Brand name: Tylenol\u00ae
Ibuprofen
A medicine to help with pain \u2013 Brand name: Advil\u00ae, Motrin\u00ae
Docusate
A medicine to soften stool
Pseudoephedrine
A medicine to treat cold symptoms
Aspirin
A medicine used to treat many conditions including pain
Naproxen
A medicine to help with pain \u2013 Brand name: Aleve\u00ae
Medicine use during pregnancy has increased almost 70% in the last 30 years.1
\nResearchers used data from two ongoing, large studies that investigate the causes of birth defects. Both of these studies have a group of women who have babies with birth defects and a group of women who have babies without birth defects. As part of these studies, each woman is asked questions about her pregnancy, including medicines she might have taken while pregnant.
\nIn this new study about medicines taken during pregnancy, researchers used information about medicine use from the group of women who had babies without birth defects. Researchers identified which medicines were most commonly used during the first trimester of pregnancy. The first trimester of pregnancy is when a baby\u2019s organs are forming. It is also the time when most birth defects are likely to happen. After researchers identified the most common medicines used during this time, they examined what is known about these medicines. They looked up each medicine in a database called TERIS, which contains information about medicine exposures during pregnancy. For each medicine, researchers looked at what was known about each medicine\u2019s risk of causing a birth defect.
\n \nAbout 1 in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect2. Birth defects are one of the leading causes of infant deaths, accounting for more than 20% of all infant deaths3. CDC is working with its partners and the public to build a comprehensive approach to improve understanding of medication use during pregnancy.
\nFor more information on medications and pregnancy, visit www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/meds/treatingfortwo.
\nKey Findings Reference:
\nThorpe PG, Gilboa SM, Hernandez-Diaz S, Lind J, Cragan JD, Briggs G, Kweder S, Friedman JM, Mitchell AA, Honein MA, for the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Medications in the first trimester of pregnancy: most common exposures and critical gaps in understanding fetal risk. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Safety. 2013. [epub ahead of print]
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