Information resources for advice about medicines in pregnancy

SPS resources

SPS provides advice on some medicines and conditions during pregnancy which we would always recommend checking first. Browse our collection below.

• Pain: treatment during pregnancy
• Vitamin D deficiency: treatment during pregnancy
• Vitamin B12 deficiency: treatment during pregnancy
• Haemorrhoids: treatment during pregnancy
• Hay fever or allergic rhinitis: treatment during pregnancy
• Considerations and interactions with GLP-1 receptor agonists

Further information

Seek expert advice whenever there is any doubt about the safety of a medicine in pregnancy. If the information is not available on the SPS website, or your clinical scenario is complex, we would suggest you seek further advice. If you work in primary care, you can contact the Medicines Advice Service.

National guidance

In addition to our own resources, the following national guidance is particularly relevant.

NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries and Guidelines

• NICE has specific Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) and Guidelines on conditions in pregnancy and others that provide some advice on the management of conditions in pregnancy.
• There is also guidance on general pregnancy-related care such as nutrition and weight management.

Expert guidance

In addition to our own resources, the following expert guidance is particularly relevant.

UK Teratology Information Service

• UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS) produce evidence-based information on fetal risk for medicines and chemical exposures during pregnancy.
• There is open access to UKTIS pregnancy summaries for healthcare professionals.
• More detailed UKTIS information for health care professionals is available via a login (free registration) or via TOXBASE^® (login required).

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

• RCOG publish Green-top Guidelines and patient information leaflets on a range of conditions in pregnancy.

Other useful resources

Summaries of Product Characteristics

• The Electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) contains Summaries of Product Characteristics (SmPCs).
• This information can be found in section 4.6 Fertility, pregnancy and lactation. It clarifies the licensed status of a medicine’s use in pregnancy.
• Manufacturers generally take a very cautious approach because of a lack of data.
• Confirmation that a product is licensed in pregnancy can be very useful in making treatment recommendations.
• This should not be used as a sole information source for medicines in pregnancy questions.

BNF

• BNF statements on use of medicines during pregnancy are brief and may be based largely on SmPC statements. As such, the information may be over cautious.
• Pregnancy information in the treatment summaries section must be reviewed alongside the prescribing information in the relevant drug monographs.

Briggs’ Drugs in Pregnancy & Lactation

• Briggs’ is a US reference source and requires a subscription.
• Drug monographs are listed in alphabetical order.
• Provides in-depth data and specialist information which should be interpreted with care.

Professional organisations

Professional organisations may provide useful advice on the use of medicines during pregnancy in specific clinical areas. Some examples are provided below:

Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology provides guidance on the management of cardiovascular diseases during pregnancy.

Respiratory

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS) provide guidance on the management of asthma for adults which includes advice for during pregnancy.

Gastroenterology

The British Society of Gastroenterology provides guidance on the management of inflammatory bowel disease in adults which includes advice for during pregnancy.

Hepatology

The European Association for the Study of Liver Disease provides guidance on the management of liver diseases during pregnancy.

Rheumatology

The British Society for Rheumatology provides guidance on the prescribing of immunomodulatory anti-rheumatic medicines and corticosteroids during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Neurology

The Association of British Neurologists provides guidance on the management of multiple sclerosis in pregnancy.

HIV

The British HIV Association (BHIVA) provides guidance for the management of HIV in pregnancy and postpartum.

Training resources

We recommend the following resource to support the training of the pharmacy team:

Medicines Learning Portal

The Medicines Learning Portal contains a tutorial on pregnancy.

Patient resources

We recommend these resources for patient-friendly information:

BUMPS

• BUMPS (‘Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy’) factsheets are useful to use in discussions between pregnant women and their partners and their healthcare professional.
• This information is produced by UKTIS.

NHS website: Medicines A to Z

• The NHS Medicines A to Z contains information for patients on a wide range of commonly used medicines, including over the counter medicines.
• A short statement about use in pregnancy is included for each medicine.

Patient Information Leaflets

• The eMC contains Patient Information Leaflets (PILs).
• PILs provide patients with information on the licensed status of a medicine’s use in pregnancy.
• Manufacturers generally take a very cautious approach because of a lack of data therefore the information presented on here may not reflect the risk versus benefit balance.
• These should be used alongside pregnancy specific resources where available.

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