Pregnancy brings with it so many changes. But what you probably weren’t aware of is that , and in turn, more antibiotics. National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) over 13,000 pregnant women and found that approximately a third of expectant women take at least one course of antibiotic treatment between the 3 months before conception, and the end of their pregnancies, most commonly during the .

During pregnancy, babies receive their blood, oxygen, and nutrients through the placenta, acting as a filter for your baby. However, some antibiotics can also pass through it, and they have the potential to lead to congenital abnormalities in newborns. That’s why pregnant women are advised to be careful with remedies, medicine, and over-the-counter drugs. Read on to learn more about what antibiotics are safe and which ones to avoid.

Infections & Antibiotics

According to , you can’t treat viral infections with antibiotics for two reasons. First, it won’t eliminate the infection. Also, overusing antibiotics can cause drug-resistant bacteria, so when you need antibiotics, they may not work. However, you may have to take antibiotics for bacterial infections. Infections during pregnancy can be severe and

According to , if an infection goes untreated, it could put your baby’s health at more risk than exposing her to an antibiotic. It could lead to stillbirth, early labor, newborn death, or issues with your baby’s organs. So, antibiotics are the only drugs that will help a pregnant woman get better, and you should take them in spite of the potential risk to the baby.

Common bacterial infections during pregnancy include:

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  Group B strep
  



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  Gall bladder infection
  


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  Appendicitis
  


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  Kidney infection
  


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  Bacterial vaginosis
  


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  Amniotic fluid and placenta infection
  


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  Syphilis
  


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  Listeria
  

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Are Antibiotics Safe?

According to , it depends. It’s safe to take some antibiotics throughout pregnancy, while some present known risks to a developing baby, and a ton of others fall in between. When a drug falls into this last group, it’s because there isn’t enough safety information available or the potential risk of the medication needs to be weighed carefully against the harmful impacts of the condition it’s being used to treat. In other words, if you’re so sick and an antibiotic is the only thing that’ll help you feel better, you may have to take it despite the potential risk to your child. In other cases, your illness could be riskier for your child’s health than exposing her to an antibiotic.

What’s more, as with any medicine, the safety of a specific antibiotic is dependent not only on the drug’s characteristics but on factors such as how much and for how long you take it and how far you are in your pregnancy.

How To Tell Which Antibiotics Are Safe?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides a list of Pharmaceutical Pregnancy Categories to help doctors and their patients know the prenatal safety of medicines. The categories include A, B, C, D, and X. Those within Category A are safe for use in expectant women. In contrast, those within Category X are harmful to fetuses and should be avoided by pregnant women. If you’re pregnant or are trying to conceive, ask your doctor about the pregnant groups of any prescribed medications. You may also find the pregnancy category designation of each drug on its package insert. Birth defects liked to antibiotics grouped within Category X include:

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  Eye defects
  


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  Cleft palate
  


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  Congenital heart defects
  


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  Anencephaly (a severe malformation of the brain and skull)
  


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  Diaphragmatic hernia
  


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  Choanal atresia (nasal passage blockage)
  


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  Transverse limb deficiency
  

The FDA requires a relatively significant amount of high-quality data on a drug to be categorized within Pregnancy Category A. It is common for pregnant women to take Category B drugs, such as Augmentin, safely. This antibiotic is commonly used to treat bacterial infections, including pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinusitis, all of which can be risky to the baby if left untreated.

There are so many antibiotics available, so it’s not possible to note down all of them here. However, common antibiotics generally considered SAFE for pregnant women include penicillins (such as ampicillin and amoxicillin), cephalosporins (cephalexin), Clindamycin, and erythromycin. Antibiotics considered UNSAFE during pregnancy include Ciprofloxacin, Bactrim, Doxycycline, Macrobid, Furadantin, Minocycline, Macrodantin, Tetracycline, Septra, and Streptomycin. Streptomycin is for treating tuberculosis and can cause hearing loss in your child. Tetracycline, including minocycline, oxytetracycline, and doxycycline, is used to treat respiratory infections and acne.

If you take it in the second or third trimester, it may discolor your developing child’s teeth. Communication is vital regardless of what you and your doctor choose as the right course of action when . Talk with all of your healthcare providers about any medicine you are taking to prevent drug interactions, and always remind your healthcare provider that you are expectant when they’re prescribing medications or care.

Sources: , ,