Pharmacy

Teratogen Exposure Guidance for Pharmacists with Pregnant and Lactating Patients

Many people need to take prescription or over-the-counter medication when pregnant or breastfeeding. However, the dearth of adequate pregnancy or lactation safety data can make risk assessment complex and laborious for a busy pharmacist. We understand the challenges that you face when counseling pregnant and lactating patients on medication exposure risks, especially if there are multiple prescriptions and complex medical illnesses to consider. This is where we can help.

We specialize in evaluating teratogenic risks associated with maternal medication use in pregnancy and lactation. We provide no-cost, evidence-based information in a patient-friendly manner that will help you weigh the risks and benefits of a medication for both parent and baby, allowing you to educate your patient about how best to maximize disease treatment while minimizing maternal and fetal/infant risk.

We are also dedicated to furthering the information and understanding of medication safety in pregnancy through our observational MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies. We are proud to lead more than half of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-mandated pregnancy registries conducted in the U.S. MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies are rigorously designed cohort studies that aim to provide critically needed product safety information – and your patient referrals make all the difference. With your referral, you are helping us generate data that will lead to improved product safety information in pregnancy, thereby providing you and your patients with the evidence you need to make more informed treatment decisions.

Most pharmacists will encounter questions regarding the safety of medication use during pregnancy and breastfeeding either from patients, family, or friends. Many may feel that they lack the knowledge to answer these questions confidently.

— Burkey et al., 2013

LactRx App

Download our LactRx app for on-the-go access to information on exposures to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed.

Explore how we can help you and your pregnant and breastfeeding patients by providing no-cost exposure risk assessments, patient education materials, observational studies to monitor pregnancy outcomes, and more.