Should I take medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding or not? Generally, there are two types of pregnant mothers. One type of pregnant mothers has a lot of concerns about the use of medication during pregnancy and refuses to take all medication, thus causing delays in their condition. The other type of pregnant mothers are blind in their choice of medication, resulting in unreasonable use of medication, resulting in fetal malformation or miscarriage. In fact, medication can be used during pregnancy, but it has to be reasonable. Some illnesses (such as persistent high fever) are far more harmful to the fetus than the effects produced by medication. Note, however, that medication should be used under medical supervision. What are the criteria for medication use during pregnancy and breastfeeding? At present, the medication for pregnant women in China is classified according to the different hazards of the drugs as follows: Grade A: It has been confirmed that there is no harm to the fetus such as multivitamins and folic acid, but care should be taken to take them within the normal range of doses. Grade B: safer for pregnant women and basically harmless to the fetus such as penicillin, cephalosporins, metronidazole (trichomoniasis medication) erythromycin, digoxin, insulin, etc. Class C: Animal studies have proved that the drugs are harmful to the fetus (teratogenic or embryonic death, etc.) such as quinolones (ofloxacin, etc.), antituberculosis drugs, antivirals, most antihypertensives and diuretics, and hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies vaccines, etc. Category D: There is sufficient evidence of teratogenic effects of drugs such as tetracyclines in antibiotics, antipyretic and analgesic (aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen), narcotic painkillers (morphine, dulcolax), antihypertensive drugs, oral contraceptives, etc. Category X: contraindicated such as ribavirin (commonly used antiviral drugs), antineoplastic drugs, anti-convulsants, hormonal drugs and some drugs for psychiatric disorders, Bactrim ointment, acinovir ointment, cortisol drugs, etc. Is Chinese medicine free of side effects? Traditionally, Chinese medicine is considered mild and non-invasive, but as the saying goes, “every medicine is poisonous”, even if it is mild, it still has side effects, especially those herbs that have the function of slipping the fetus and invigorating blood for pregnant women. If used carelessly during pregnancy, they may lead to miscarriage or bleeding. It is important to use the medicine under the guidance of an herbalist. And inform your doctor that you are pregnant. The effect of drugs on the fetus is different in different periods. 1-2 weeks after fertilization, the effect of drugs on the embryo is “all or nothing”, i.e. either no effect or an effect leading to miscarriage, which usually does not lead to fetal malformation. 3~8 weeks after fertilization is the teratogenic sensitive period, so it is not necessary to use medicine during this period, including general health care products and tonic medicine. If necessary, medication must be used carefully under the guidance of doctors. If you have a history of taking medication, prenatal diagnosis can be performed at 16-20 weeks of pregnancy. The possibility of teratogenicity of drugs decreases greatly during the middle and late pregnancy, but some drugs may still affect the normal development of the fetus. In the last week of pregnancy before delivery, special attention should be paid to the use of drugs because the metabolic system in the fetus is not perfect and cannot process drugs quickly and effectively, and drugs may accumulate in the baby and produce drug overdose.