Use of various medications and herbal medicines can cause problems for you or your baby in pregnancy. Some drugs can increase the risk of fetal malformations if used in early pregnancy – even before you may realise that you are pregnancy. So, it is best to look into this with your GP before you become pregnant (or as soon as possible after).
In general, whether or not a particular medication is necessary during pregnancy usually comes down to a balance between the risks involved in using that medication at that time against the risks in not using that medication. For example, a woman with Epilepsy might need to use a medication to control her Epilepsy – this might carry some risk for the fetus by slightly increasing the risk of a fetal abnormality, but not using the medication might lead to worsening of her Epilepsy, which may well not be good for either mother or baby either.
Clearly, the assessment of the woman’s condition by her treating Doctor (in the case of Epilepsy, her Neurologist, for example) is an important part of making the assessment about whether or not to use any medication, and if so, which medication to use (the safest, with the least risk).
Below is information from the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne (VIC) and the Mothersafe service based at The Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney (NSW):
(NB. If you are not in Victoria or NSW you may not be able to use the telephone counselling services mentioned in the above information).