Antibiotics for pregnant women: approved drugs

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Antibiotics during pregnancy raise a lot of questions. After all, these substances have such a powerful force that they can easily overcome the placental barrier and have a negative effect on the fetus. But what to do if healing is impossible without them. Let's look at the most popular options.

How do they affect the fetus?

It should be immediately clarified that the degree of exposure and nature of damage from taking these drugs may differ from their composition, concentration and many other factors. But still, we can highlight several of the most dangerous consequences that medications can provoke:

1. Liver dysfunction.
2. Destruction of the baby’s hearing system and subsequent lack of hearing.
3. Problems with blood circulation.
4. Bone deformation.
5. Severe developmental defects.

The purpose of these drugs is to destroy pathogenic bacteria, viruses and other organisms. But at the same time, they do not have a selective effect and can seriously disrupt the growth and development of the fetus.

The period at which the antibiotic was taken also plays a special role. If the drugs were used for up to 10 weeks, then the risk of having a child with abnormalities is slightly lower. Such an embryo simply cannot survive under the conditions created and in most cases a spontaneous miscarriage occurs.

In later stages of pregnancy, the harmful effects of antibiotics are somewhat reduced, however, you should still not take them unknowingly. Since after birth the baby can develop the most unpredictable anomalies.

Pregnancy after antibiotic treatment

Often women worry whether pregnancy is possible after taking antibiotics. After all, all antibiotics, one way or another, have an effect on pregnancy. The body of the expectant mother in this case is weakened and is unlikely to be ready to support the life of another person. Doctors believe that it is possible to get pregnant after antibiotic therapy, but you must follow several rules, namely:

• recover after treatment;
• undergo the necessary examinations to ensure that there is no risk to the child;
• Be sure to consult a doctor for both partners;
• be registered with a gynecologist throughout your pregnancy;

If all the conditions are met, then pregnancy after taking antibiotics will be no different from normal, and the baby will definitely be born healthy. And remember that, no matter what the situation, you always have to choose the lesser of two evils. The main thing is to believe in recovery and always hope for the best.

When they are needed

There are situations when the female body is unable to overcome the disease on its own. In this case, there is an urgent need to fight, first of all, for the life and health of the mother, and then to assess the impact on the fetus.

In most cases, specialists try to use safer drugs to begin with, and resort to antibiotics only if such therapy does not give a positive result. The only exceptions are emergency cases.

Diseases that require antibiotics include:

• particularly severe infectious lesions. These are sepsis and blood poisoning;
• pyelonephritis. A disease that is very popular during pregnancy. It is a consequence of the development of an infection; in order to overcome it, it is necessary to take antibiotics;
• respiratory diseases. An ordinary cough or redness of the throat can be cured without the help of strong medications, but sore throat, bronchitis or pneumonia will have to be dealt with only by radical methods;
• certain types of intestinal infection, which lead to a sharp deterioration in the general condition of the body, as well as severe intoxication;
• burns, purulent wounds that affect a large surface. They can provoke infection into the blood and thereby pose a danger to the fetus;
• polyhydramnios. The cause of this phenomenon should be identified at the first sign. If the presence of an infection in the body is proven, then taking potent medications cannot be avoided.

These cases pose a direct threat to the life of the mother. Ignoring them is dangerous. Therefore, specialists immediately select the most gentle course of antibiotics in order to prevent the disease from developing.

Why are antibiotics dangerous during pregnancy?

Just a few decades ago, people died from diseases that are now successfully treated with antibiotics. The drugs are indispensable for the treatment of pneumonia, cholera, diseases of the genitourinary system, etc. However, even such miraculous drugs have a number of side effects, which consist in the fact that, along with pathogenic bacteria, the beneficial microflora of the body also suffers. Left without the “protection” of beneficial bacteria, a person experiences ailments such as diarrhea, skin rashes and many others. It happens that the beneficial microflora dies, while the pathogens survive, which is explained by the resistance of the bacteria to the drug that has been familiar for many years.

Rules for taking antibiotics

1. Antibiotics are prescribed only by a doctor! You should not take antibiotics that your friends or relatives are taking, or the same antibiotics that your doctor prescribed last time.
2. You cannot stop the course of treatment earlier than the indicated period. If you do not take the doses prescribed by the doctor, and decide that you were cured earlier, then all your previous efforts will be nullified, and perhaps even harm your health.

What drugs can you trust?

Among a number of antibiotics, there are still groups that do not pose a danger to the fetus. They can easily pass through the placenta, but this will not have any harmful effects on the baby.

Acceptable antibiotics during pregnancy:

1. The entire series of penicillins. Completely safe antimicrobial and antibacterial agent. In a short time it is eliminated from the pregnant woman’s body through the work of the kidneys. The most famous representatives of the group are amoxiclav, ampicillin, amoxicillin.
2. Erythromycin. It can also include spiramycin and josamycin. Effective drugs in the fight against pathogenic microflora and practically do not affect the fetus.
3. Cephalosporins. A wide group of bactericidal drugs that are often prescribed for soft tissue infections, as well as in the postoperative period.

But even with proven safety, drugs should not be taken unknowingly and without a doctor’s prescription.

Cases of appointment

The use of such drugs is often an exception due to the ineffectiveness of other drugs. As mentioned above, the antibiotic is quite a strong remedy; it is prescribed in extreme cases and only for serious illnesses.

Diseases for which antibiotics are prescribed for pregnant women:

• various diseases that are sexually transmitted are often treated with the use of antibacterial drugs;
• pyelonephritis is a fairly serious kidney disease. A pregnant woman diagnosed with this condition will be treated with antibiotics;
• pneumonia, in fact, modern medicine can cope with such a disease quite simply, but a pregnant girl can get complications that will have a detrimental effect on the unborn baby. This disease is treated in pregnant women with the use of antibacterial drugs.

TOP prohibited products

The following drugs are strictly prohibited for pregnant women. Regardless of the complexity of the disease, they cannot be prescribed.

Aminoglycosides. These substances easily penetrate the placenta and cause complications in the baby’s ear system, which can lead to congenital deafness. Moreover, they negatively affect kidney function.

Almost every group has certain drugs that, in especially rare cases, can be prescribed to pregnant women, but only in a strictly calculated dosage.

Dioxidine. Widely used as a drug for disinfecting wounds and surfaces, especially during surgical operations. Its main disadvantage is its mutagenic ability, which can lead to unpredictable consequences.

Clarithromycin. Effective against pathogens of respiratory tract diseases. Toxic properties were discovered during animal studies. Similar consequences will occur when taking midecamycin.

Co-trimoxazole. In everyday life, one of the most effective means in the fight against bacterial infection of the respiratory tract. The most famous antibiotic based on it is biseptol. Taking it during pregnancy can cause developmental delays, heart defects, and growth retardation.

Nifuroxazide and furazidine. Used to combat infectious kidney diseases, infected burns and soft tissue infections. Passes through the placenta and seriously disrupts the development of the fetus, causing severe malformations.

Tetracycline. It is extremely toxic to the liver and can also destroy the bone and cartilage tissue of the child. Moreover, it is usually widely used in medicine due to its wide antimicrobial and bactericidal spectrum of action.

Before taking any medications, you should carefully read the instructions for use and the composition of the product.

Pregnancy on antibiotics

It turns out that this is the fourth time during my entire pregnancy that I have taken antibiotics. The first three times - urinary tract infection and bronchitis.

The first time acute cystitis began at week 9 and the doctor prescribed me cephalexin. Everything seems to have passed. Then, at week 18, the symptoms returned, and without thinking twice the doctor prescribed me ampicillin. Both times my gynecologist said that there is no need to take a urine test again after treatment...

When the cystitis returned for the third time a month later, I said that I would not poison the child anymore, especially since nothing was helping, and I decided to treat the cystitis myself. The doctor couldn’t offer me any alternative remedies; he just said that it only works with antibiotics. As a result, after reading on the Internet, I decided that phytolysin would help me and began searching for it in Canadian stores and acquaintances and friends. I must say that he gradually removed all the symptoms and I was completely sure that I was doing great and everything worked out fine.

At 32 weeks, my stomach started to hurt a lot and it felt very similar to training contractions. I even wrote a post on this topic, I was sure that it was them. But she nevertheless went to the hospital and a CTG showed that there were still contractions. The doctor said that I was not in labor and that I had these symptoms because I didn’t drink enough water. So I went home to drink water. But the pain did not go away for another two days and I went to the hospital again. Then they took me seriously and left me in the hospital overnight for examination. Analyzes showed that this is not dehydration or workouts, but the same urinary tract infection and it causes pain and cramps. The result is antibiotics (zuferoxime). This time the doctors had enough brains to do a sensitivity test and they chose the antibiotic that would be the most effective (I hope....) If cystitis returns, then I will be put on pills until delivery. After the first day of use, the pain completely disappeared and the uterus calmed down.

I was not happy for long, now I have bronchitis……… The cough does not go away for ten days. The attacks are just crazy. I have no idea where I could have caught a cold. I haven't had this since childhood. No folk remedies help. Honey, onions, raspberries will soon come out of your ears... Today I woke up with wheezing in my own lungs... Bottom line, now they prescribed me amoxiclav and said that I couldn’t take any syrups. They can create a risk of premature birth......

I sit and cry, what kind of mother am I... How can you poison your child like that, but I really don’t know what to do. Now I’m afraid to self-medicate, and it doesn’t help me. If the child has any abnormalities due to my fault, then I will not forgive myself for this..... Antibiotics are all allowed, but I still worry terribly. And I also cannot forgive myself for listening to the family doctor and not taking any tests before pregnancy . I had to insist. She told me that no tests were needed, like if you’re pregnant and don’t worry. Maybe at least cystitis could have been prevented. I didn’t know that I was so dead……..

This is simply a cry from the heart. I don’t know who to consult... My husband says that everything will be fine, but I know that he’s just reassuring... Today my mother was also denied a visa, in short, something bad...

Consequences of taking illegal antibiotics

Among the medications there is a list of prohibited antibiotics, especially in the 1st trimester of pregnancy.

Before prescribing them to women, the doctor conducts a series of studies, and only in critical cases prescribes the dosage individually.

Prohibited antibiotics can cause spontaneous abortion and develop fetal pathologies in women carrying a baby.

Let's look at the list of prohibited medications and their consequences after taking them:

1. Gentamicin causes disturbances in the child's hearing organs, causing deafness.
2. Tetracycline can cause poisoning of the fetal liver in the embryo; its toxic substances accumulate in bone tissue and damage tooth enamel.
3. Tsiprolet and Nolitsin destroy the joints of the fetus at any stage of pregnancy.
4. Levomycetin has a detrimental effect on the bone marrow of the embryo and the circulatory system.
5. Dioxidin develops mutations and defects in the baby and contributes to its slow development.
6. Biseptol negatively affects the baby, causing birth defects and pathologies.

It is important to note! When taking antibiotics together, it is recommended to take medications that normalize the intestinal microflora to avoid stomach upset.

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Rules for taking antibiotics during pregnancy

To avoid taking unnecessary medications during pregnancy, it is recommended to undergo treatment for chronic infections in advance. When planning pregnancy, antibiotics can be taken in any dosage, and conception can be postponed for several weeks after the end of therapy.

Antibiotics are dangerous during pregnancy because they disrupt the normal development of the fetus. But this does not apply to drugs for topical use. Tobramycin is prohibited during gestation, but it can be prescribed to expectant mothers in the treatment of conjunctivitis.

When undergoing a course of therapy, pregnant women must follow the dosage prescribed by the doctor and do not change the drug themselves, even if it belongs to the same pharmacological group. Treatment should not be stopped prematurely in the absence of symptoms of the disease. This will lead to the development of resistance in bacteria, and next time the drug will be useless.

Antibacterial therapy in pregnant women should be carried out strictly according to indications for diseases caused by microbes. A doctor can choose the right medicine, taking into account the safety class of the drug and its combination with other medications. Self-medication, changing the dose and type of antibiotic leads to worse treatment results and dangerous consequences.

Photo: ru.freepik.com

Useful video about taking antibiotics during pregnancy

List of sources:

• Obstetrics: national guidelines. Ed. E.K. Ailamazyan, V.I. Kulakova, V.E. Radzinsky, G.M. Savelyeva. Ed. "GEOTAR-Media" - 2009.
• Clinical protocols for the management of pregnancy and childbirth of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

Author
Yulia Shevchenko

Gynecologist

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