Antibiotics During Pregnancy

Women take antibiotics for various reasons, however, before taking antibiotics during pregnancy, they should consult their gynecologist and obstetrician. Very often it is also seen that other physicians, especially dentists, also consult with gynecologists and obstetricians to confirm, if the antibiotics they are prescribing are safe antibiotics or not.

Categories of Antibiotics

Medicines and antibiotics are assigned various categories, depending on whether they are safe antibiotics during pregnancy.

Category A: There are very few antibiotics which fall under this category. Category A antibiotics signify that there is no evidence of harm to the fetus in the first trimester or during childbirth. Hence, they are the safest of all antibiotics.

Category B: Majority antibiotics come under this category. There is no evidence of any birth defects or pregnancy related complications. Therefore, these antibiotics are safe to take during pregnancy.

Category C: There is insufficient data about effects of antibiotics of category C during pregnancy. Therefore, these are antibiotics to avoid during pregnancy.

Category D: Antibiotics coming under this category are the antibiotics to be avoided at any cost during pregnancy and prenatal care. These antibiotics should be taken during pregnancy, only if there is no better alternative.

Along with the information about antibiotics and pregnancy there are factors, which should be taken into consideration as well. These factors are:

• The kind of antibiotic.
• Dosage of the antibiotic prescribed.
• Duration of medication.
• The trimester of pregnancy you currently are in.

The duration of medication is an important factor, which you should not forget. As prolonged exposure to antibiotics can cause certain deformities in the fetus and in a worst case scenario, even a miscarriage. In which trimester you are taking the drug is also important, as there are some antibiotics, which are safe only during certain trimesters.

The antibiotics safe to take during pregnancy are the most common ones like penicillin, cephalosporins and erythromycin. Although these antibiotics are said to be safe antibiotics during pregnancy, it is important that you take your multivitamin dose daily. If you are taking certain drugs for treating an urinary tract infection, then it is advised that you also take a daily supplement of folic acid of at least 400 milligrams. If you are taking prenatal vitamins, then you need not take an extra dose of folic acid, as these vitamins contain approximately 800 milligrams of folic acid.

Antibiotics prescribed as a cure for tuberculosis, respiratory infections and acne should be avoided at all costs. The medication used to treat tuberculosis can cause deafness in your child. Some of the antibiotics can also discolor your baby's teeth.

Recent studies published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology have shown that most women take antibiotics during pregnancy or during labor. Due to this half of the children have become unable to host certain kinds of antibiotics, especially Ampicillin, resulting in their inability to fight off infections.

While taking antibiotics during pregnancy it is important to weigh the harmful effects of the disease affecting the mother with the harm the antibiotics will have on the fetus. After taking into consideration these factors, only then should the expectant mother be prescribed antibiotics. In case of any health problems during pregnancy it is important that you tell the physician about your pregnancy, so that he can administer the safest medication with the appropriate dosage.

The safest bet is to consult your obstetrician and gynecologist before taking any kind of antibiotics during pregnancy, notwithstanding the fact whether they belong to the safe category or to the unsafe category of antibiotics.