This sheet is about exposure to clotrimazole in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. This information is based on available published literature. It should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare providers.
What is clotrimazole?
Clotrimazole is a medication that has been used to treat fungal infections. As a cream, it has been used topically (on the skin) to treat skin infections and as a cream or suppository (inserted into the vagina) to treat vaginal infections. Some brand names of clotrimazole are Femcare®, Lotrimin®, and Mycelex®.
Sometimes when people find out they are pregnant, they think about changing how they take their medication, or stopping their medication altogether. However, it is important to talk with your healthcare providers before making any changes to how you take your medication. Your healthcare providers can talk with you about the benefits of treating your condition and the risks of untreated illness during pregnancy.
What should I do if I think I have a vaginal yeast infection while pregnant?
People are more likely to get yeast infections during pregnancy than at other times. If you think you have a vaginal yeast infection, it is important to see your healthcare provider to be sure the infection is yeast before trying to treat it on your own. If you have another type of infection, you may need different treatment.
I use clotrimazole. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant?
Using clotrimazole is not expected to make it harder to get pregnant.
Does using clotrimazole increase the chance of miscarriage?
Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. One study found a small increased chance for miscarriage with use of clotrimazole, but there were several problems with this study that could have affected the results. Other studies have not found that using clotrimazole increases the chance of miscarriage.
Does taking clotrimazole increase the chance of birth defects?
Every pregnancy starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a birth defect. This is called the background risk. Topical or vaginal medications enter the body in lower amounts than oral (pill) medications. This means less medication reaches the developing fetus. Since topical and vaginal clotrimazole are not well absorbed, they are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy. Most studies have shown that clotrimazole at low doses (<400 mg/day) does not increase the chance of birth defects.
Does using clotrimazole increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems?
Studies have not been done to see if clotrimazole increases the chance for pregnancy-related problems such as preterm delivery (birth before week 37) or low birth weight (weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces [2500 grams] at birth).
Does using clotrimazole in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?
Studies have not been done to see if clotrimazole can cause behavior or learning issues for the child.
Breastfeeding while using clotrimazole:
There are no studies looking at clotrimazole use during breastfeeding. However, because only small amounts of the medication are expected to pass into breastmilk when clotrimazole is used topically, it is not expected to cause side effects in a nursing child. In pill form, clotrimazole has been given directly to infants under the care of a healthcare provider to treat thrush. If used on the nipples, any excess cream or ointment should be removed from the nipples before nursing. Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about all your breastfeeding questions.
If a male uses clotrimazole, could it affect fertility or increase the chance of birth defects?
Studies have not been done to see if clotrimazole could affect male fertility (ability to get partner pregnant) or increase the chance of birth defects above the background risk. In general, exposures that fathers or sperm donors have are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy. For more information, please see the MotherToBaby fact sheet Paternal Exposures at https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/paternal-exposures-pregnancy/.
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OTIS/MotherToBaby encourages inclusive and person-centered language. While our name still contains a reference to mothers, we are updating our resources with more inclusive terms. Use of the term mother or maternal refers to a person who is pregnant. Use of the term father or paternal refers to a person who contributes sperm.
