Blood Pressure Meds May Harm Pregnancy
New research reveals that certain blood pressure medications could be even more dangerous for expectant mothers and their unborn children than previously thought.
As The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay explained Thursday, the medications, called ACE inhibitors, are commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure. They work by relaxing blood vessels and increasing blood flow.
ACE inhibitors already carry a "black box" warning for pregnant mothers because of the risk of birth defects later in pregnancy, but now, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that they are also dangerous during early pregnancy.
Babies whose mothers took ACE inhibitors in their first trimester had double the risk of being born with serious birth defects of the heart and brain than those who weren't exposed to blood pressure drugs.
The researchers say the study shows that taking these drugs during early pregnancy should not be considered safe and should be avoided.
Talk to your doctor immediately about the options if you take and ACE inhibitor and become pregnant, Senay stresses.
High blood pressure still requires treatment, because it can harm the mother and fetus, and there are other drugs available that do not appear to carry the same risks.
The current labels for ACE inhibitors advise women who take them to discontinue their use when they become pregnant. The Food and Drug Administration says more research is needed before it orders changes in existing warnings, but the agency is notifying doctors of the new research through its Web site.
Senay notes that this study highlights the known and unknown risks of taking medications before and during pregnancy. All women who are thinking about getting pregnant should talk to their doctor about any medications they are taking, including over-the-counter medications. Review all the medications that might affect the fetus or mother. For instance, the acne drug Accutane is known to cause serious birth defects, and some anti-epilepsy or depression medication dosages may need to be lowered before pregnancy.
Before getting pregnant, Senay said, women need to make sure any health issues they have are identified and treated, including diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and eating disorders. Some infections and illnesses may also threaten or be passed on to the baby. Discuss problems that may have occurred in earlier pregnancies to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed in order to make the next pregnancy safer.