More Antibiotics Pose Problems During Pregnancy

Pregnant women need to be very cautious about antbiotic use. Physicians have long known that tetracycline-type antibiotics that are taken during pregnancy can lead to permanent tooth discoloration in the baby. Now, researchers report that two different kinds of medicines used to treat urinary tract infections may raise the risk of birth defects. They include drugs such as Bactrim or Septra, which contain sulfamethoxazole. The other category is nitrofurantoin, such as Macrobid. The study included more than 13,000 women whose babies had at least one birth defect and approximately 5,000 other women whose babies were born healthy. A rare heart abnormality was three to four times more likely among the women who had taken the antibiotics in question. The scientists point out that commonly prescribed antibiotics, particularly penicillins and erythromycins, are not associated with fetal abnormalities.
[Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, November, 2009]