Pregnancy medication guide Many mothers-to-be are troubled by some medication questions: Can I use medication when I am sick during pregnancy or not? Can I still have a baby if I take medication without knowing I am pregnant? Are natural herbs and health supplements safer than drugs? I hope the following article will help mothers-to-be to understand about the use of medication during pregnancy. When a mother-to-be is sick, she should first communicate with her doctor about her health and choose reasonable medication under the guidance of her doctor, so that she does not have to refuse all medication to prevent delay in treatment, nor should she be free to be autonomous. For example, it is difficult to avoid common diseases like cold and flu, and some expectant mothers feel that medicine is three times more toxic and insist on not using it. I don’t know that when the cold is serious, the virus and the disease cause high fever and metabolic disorders can have adverse effects on the fetus. Drugs for cold and flu contain antihistamines, which should not be taken casually by pregnant women. The best way is to choose drugs that have less impact on the fetus under the guidance of a doctor, such as Banlangen Punch for mild colds; safer acetaminophen instead of aspirin for fever; safer antibiotics such as penicillin or cephalosporins for patients with confirmed bacterial infections. Some people find out they are pregnant only after taking medication and are worried about the impact on their baby’s health, even teratogenic. In simple terms, within two weeks after the fertilization of the egg (that is, 4 weeks of pregnancy according to doctors), the medication will cause spontaneous abortion or have no effect, so mothers-to-be who find out they are pregnant after using the medication during this period can rest assured that it will not cause the baby to develop malformations and there is no need to have an abortion for this reason. In contrast, the 3rd to 8th week after fertilization (that is, 5th to 10th week of pregnancy) is the time period when the embryo is most susceptible to the effects of drugs and extra attention should be paid. Chinese herbs and proprietary Chinese medicines are not safe So is it safe and harmless for pregnant women to take natural herbs? The answer is no. There are some Chinese herbs and proprietary Chinese medicines that should not be used by pregnant women. Some herbs are more toxic and may have bad effects on pregnant women and their fetuses, such as those containing niu huang, saffron and musk, which can easily lead to miscarriage. Yunnan Baiyao, Panax notoginseng tablets and other common herbs are too potent in activating blood, pregnant women should try to avoid using them. 5 Grades of Common Drugs During Pregnancy For the health of the baby, the mother-to-be can learn about the pregnancy grade of common drugs and have a clear understanding when medication must be used. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies drugs into 5 classes: A, B, C, D and X. Class A is harmless to pregnant women and fetuses; Class B has no evidence of harm; Class C drugs have been proven harmful in animal experiments, but there is no evidence yet of harm to human embryos and are only used when weighing the circumstances of the pregnant woman; Class D drugs are proven harmful to human embryos and are only used when absolutely necessary; and Class X drugs are drugs that are prohibited during pregnancy. Class A: moderate amounts of vitamins (large doses of vitamins have adverse effects on the fetus and should not be used in excess by pregnant women) Class B: penicillin, cephalosporins, erythromycin, acetaminophen, tinidazole files, digoxin, magnesium sulfate, insulin, prednisone, prednisolone, etc. Grade C: amantadine, gentamicin, dacrynic acid, nifedipine, labetalol, dexamethasone, chlorpromazine, aspirin, etc. Grade D: Streptomycin, sodium nitroprusside, propylthiouracil, phenytoin sodium, etc. Grade X (prohibited): Ribavirin (virazole), warfarin, estradiol, estradiol, etc.