Antibiotics During Pregnancy Can Be Dangerous

The use of antibiotics during pregnancy is relatively common. Various conditions that a pregnant woman suffers from require antimicrobial treatment, and there would be no other way to achieve cure.

Take, for example, urinary tract infection, or its more silent form, asymptomatic bacteriuria. The doctor is forced to prescribe an antibiotic to the pregnant woman.

But the point is that the use of antibiotics during pregnancy can be dangerous if you do not choose the right one. As with all drugs, there are adverse reactions that must be considered. And during pregnancy, these effects can affect both the mother and the fetus.

Although there are extremisms who postulate not to use any medicine of any kind during a pregnancy, we know that this is not the case. So far science has proven the safety of use of various drugs, including antibiotics.

But for certain drugs the total prohibition applies. In the same way, for certain antimicrobials that cannot be prescribed or used in self-medication when there is a pregnancy, since the result can be disastrous.

How Antibiotic Use During Pregnancy Affects

When an antibiotic is used in pregnancy, the process that the drug goes through within the body is very similar to the usual process. Almost all antibiotics end up being excreted in the urine to remove them from the body.

In pregnant women, renal flow is increased, and so is the volume of urine produced. This translates into a faster elimination of the drugs and, therefore, in a lower concentration of them in the blood.

In any case, although it is eliminated faster, what is evaluated for the antibiotic is its ability to cross the placenta and reach the fetus. Then, once the placenta is crossed, it matters if they are teratogenic or not. A teratogenic drug is one that can cause a birth defect or miscarriage.

The greatest teratogenic effect of the antibiotics that cause it occurs in the first three months of gestation, that is, until week twelve. Later, when the organs are already formed, these drugs no longer cause changes in the organs, but in the functions, and can be equally dangerous.

On the other hand, the use of antibiotics during pregnancy also considers whether they influence the placenta. Antibiotics that alter placental function restrict the growth of the fetus and cause it to be underweight.

Safe antibiotics in pregnancy

The use of antibiotics during pregnancy is dangerous if the indications and knowledge of science about them are not respected. Otherwise, they can be used safely when the protocol requires it.

Penicillin and its family of antibiotics have been shown to be the safest for the pregnant woman and the fetus. All investigations to date have found no association between these drugs and teratogenesis. Even the habitual use of them serves as proof.

The same reasoning applies to the family of cephalosporins, related to penicillin. They are safe to use and useful for urinary infections, for example.

Another antibiotic that is used in urinary infections in pregnant women for its safety is nitrofurantoin. This antimicrobial is particularly useful in pregnant women allergic to penicillin, as it becomes the appropriate option.

There is evidence in favor of azithromycin in studies carried out with pregnant animals. That is why they enter the category of class B drugs for pregnancy.

Class B medications are those that are considered safe to use during pregnancy because research in animals supports it, in addition to their frequent use in clinical practice. All that experience certifies that they do not cause birth defects.

Unsafe antibiotics during pregnancy

Among the antibiotics that are dangerous and contraindicated during pregnancy we have:

• Aminoglycosides: they have been associated with damage to the kidneys of the fetus and congenital deafness.
• Tetracyclines: affect the growth of bones and cartilage in the embryo, as well as the dental structure.
• Fluoroquinolones: in clinical experience they have generated cartilage alterations.

The nephrotoxicity of these antibiotics to the mother must also be considered, and not just fetal risks. Especially when combinations of antibiotics are used, there may be an adverse effect on the kidney function of the pregnant woman.

Just as we talk about class B drugs, in this case we have to mention those that are class X. This classification, present in the leaflets, allows us to orient ourselves.

Class X antibiotics are prohibited during pregnancy, as research in animals and humans, as well as clinical experience, have shown that they are teratogenic. If the drug’s package or package insert states that it is a class X, then you should not take it while pregnant.

It will always be a priority that you do not self-medicate. A doctor is the ideal professional to prescribe and guide you on the use of antibiotics during pregnancy. In this way you protect your health and that of your baby in training.