Re:I was on prescription medication when I got pregnant!
This is a complex question and depends on what medications you were on an how long you were on the medications. Medications are listed in four different classes with regard to pregnancy. Class A medications are safe in pregnancy anytime. Class B medications are generally recognized as safe. Class C medications are those in which it is unclear whether or not the medication is safe in pregnancy. Class D medications are those that are unsafe in pregnancy. Class X medications are considered highly unsafe during pregnancy.
As soon as you know you are pregnant, you should talk to the doctor and possibly the pharmacist about the medication you are on and about stopping those medications that are known to be dangerous to the pregnancy. In many cases, it is a matter of risk versus benefit. In other words, is it worth the risk to the baby by taking the medication if the medication is definitely needed? This question has different answers depending on the medication.
Fortunately, the first two weeks of a pregnancy involve the fetus being a free floating embryo that doesn’t get the same exposure to medications as a fetus does after the placenta has attached. This means you don’t have to worry as much about medications you take before you know you are pregnant. In the first trimester of the pregnancy and after implantation, the fetus is doing much of its development and so being on as few medications as possible is probably the best possible choice.
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