Antibiotics during pregnancy

Antibiotics in pregnancy – are they safe?

Antibiotics, like other medicines, can be divided into a safe group and a prohibited group during pregnancy. Antibiotics from the group of penicillins and cephalosporins are used for the most common infections. If possible, drugs that have not been proven to be harmful to the developing foetus are used first. In exceptional cases, it is necessary to use drugs that may harm the baby, but the risks associated with this type of therapy are less than the benefits of such treatment for the mother.

Antibiotics in pregnancy – when should they be used?

Antibiotics are used during pregnancy for bacterial infections. Most often, expectant mothers take antibiotics for urinary tract and respiratory tract infections, e.g. tonsillitis or sinusitis. Interestingly, there are situations in which a pregnant woman does not experience any symptoms and still needs to take an antibiotic. This is the case with asymptomatic bacteriuria, which exceptionally needs to be treated during pregnancy. In addition, antibiotics are used for expectant mothers in cases of Lyme disease or sexually transmitted diseases, among others. If premature amniotic fluid leakage occurs, antibiotic therapy is also initiated.

It must be remembered that antibiotics must not be taken alone. Furthermore, all doses of the medicine must always be taken without stopping the treatment prematurely. To protect against gastrointestinal discomfort or vaginal fungal infections during antibiotic therapy, it is advisable to take probiotics – both orally and vaginally.

Antibiotics during pregnancy – effects on the baby

There is a large group of antibiotics that are banned during pregnancy. These include tetracyclines, which can cause bone growth disorders and discoloured teeth in babies, or aminoglycosides, which lead to the development of deafness in the baby. It is also suspected that quinolones taken during pregnancy can cause damage to the baby’s articular cartilage.