Certain types of medication taken during pregnancy has been can cause birth defects and linked to various infant health risks if taken while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Pregnancy is a time to take good care of yourself and your unborn child. Many things are especially important during pregnancy, such as eating right, cutting out cigarettes and alcohol, and being careful about the prescription and over-the-counter drugs you take. Diagnostic x-rays and other medical radiation procedures of the abdominal area also deserve extra attention during pregnancy.

In 2015 the FDA replaced the former pregnancy risk letter categories (the five-letter system; A, B, C, D and X) on prescription and biological drug labeling with new information to make them more meaningful to both patients and healthcare providers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aware of the concerns arising from recent reports questioning the safety of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicines when used during pregnancy.  As a result, FDA valuated research studies published in the medical literature and determined they are too limited to make any recommendations based on these studies at this time.  Because of this uncertainty, the use of pain medicines during pregnancy should be carefully considered.  FDA urges pregnant women to always discuss all medicines with their health care professionals before using them. 

If you do not want to get pregnant, there are many birth control options to choose from. No one product is best for everyone. The only sure way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs or STDs) is not to have any sexual contact (abstinence).

Many pregnant women take prescription medicines for health problems like diabetes, asthma, seizures, heartburn, and morning sickness. Other women take medicines before they realize they are pregnant.

If you're pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant and want a healthy baby, then it's very important to avoid drug use during pregnancy.