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Pregnant women ignoring advice on medications

Eighty per cent of expectant women take some form of medication despite advice to the contrary according to a new survey.

The study, which is part of the Children of the 90s project, surveyed 14,000 women and found that only 17 per cent of them did not take any conventional medicine during their pregnancy.

Doctors and pharmacists advise all drugs should be avoided in the first three months of pregnancy unless benefits outweigh risks to the foetus. However, the study found that 39 per cent of women took painkillers - mostly paracetamol but also aspirin - during the early stages of pregnancy and one in four took indigestion medicines, known as antacids, in mid to late pregnancy.

Researcher Dr Judith Headley said this was not surprising considering the number of pregnant women who suffer from a variety of symptoms such as nausea, indigestion, vomiting and haemorrhoids.

She said, "Fortunately, relatively few drugs have been proven to cause malformations of the embryo or foetus. However, little is known about more subtle effects on foetal or child development."

She said that some conditions can be treated with prescription drugs after assessment of risks and benefits with a doctor. "However, minor ailments are often self-medicated, with over-the-counter products," she added.

"Some women are also turning to alternative therapies to avoid taking conventional medication and may end up taking non-standardised herbal preparations which have not undergone the rigorous testing of more conventional products."

A spokesperson for the British National Formulary said women should consult a doctor or pharmacist before taking any medicine or herbal remedies during pregnancy.

Their advice says, "Drugs should be prescribed in pregnancy only if the expected benefit to the mother is thought to be greater than the risk to the foetus, and all drugs should be avoided if possible in the first trimester."

However, Dr Headley says that the use of medication in pregnancy is higher now than before.

She says, "It is a long time now since the world was shocked by the effects of thalidomide, so perhaps it is time to remind women who may become pregnant that some drugs can be harmful and that they should seek advice from a health professional before self-medicating."

Professor David Haslam, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said "Most pregnant women are aware that they should avoid prescription drugs unless they are absolutely essential, but fail to realise that over-the-counter products can also be harmful.

"The simple rule is that pregnant women should not take any treatments unless they are certain they are safe, or the benefits really do outweigh the risks. If in doubt talk to your pharmacist, doctor, or midwife."

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