Can i take steroids while pregnant

So, never take this medication without a prescription. Sign in. Forgot your password? Get help. Create an account. Password recovery. FirstCry Parenting. Pregnancy Prenatal Care. Sabiha Anjum Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. In This Article. What Is the Recommended Dosage? Who Can Take Steroids? January 4, Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. If you're pregnant and have inflammatory bowel disease IBD , you may be concerned about the effect medications to treat IBD , such as prednisone may have on your unborn baby. Oral steroids like prednisone are commonly used to treat IBD, and they carry the potential for a host of side effects. It's natural, when you have IBD and other inflammatory conditions, to have questions about taking prednisone during pregnancy.

It may be that medications for your chronic conditions are clearly needed during pregnancy—for both your health and your baby's. If your doctor recommends medications like prednisone corticosteroids , it means they believe the risks of the drug is likely lower than the risk of not taking them. If you have IBD, it's important to be in remission, or to have the IBD as under control as possible, before getting pregnant.

However, even if a pregnancy is unplanned, many good medication options can help control IBD inflammation. Reducing inflammation from IBD and protecting the baby are going to be the key factors in ensuring as healthy a pregnancy as possible.

It's potentially dangerous to abruptly stop taking prednisone. It's best to talk to your doctor about any concerns. You should decide whether to discontinue the medication after consulting with an obstetrician and a gastroenterologist, preferably one who specializes in IBD and pregnancy.

Prednisone during pregnancy has been associated with:. These risks appear to be small, however, and in women with IBD, evidence shows that major birth defects are not likely. The website UpToDate , a trusted resource by doctors, says this about prednisone during pregnancy. In some research looking into the risks of prednisone during pregnancy, the small risk seen in general was not as great in women taking prednisone for IBD.

There is a very small risk of a cleft lip or palate in babies born to women who take prednisone during pregnancy, in particular when the prednisone is taken in the first trimester.

How do I take it? How long should I be on steroid treatment for? Why you should not suddenly stop taking steroids? What is budesonide? Will I need to take any special precautions while being treated with steroids?

Are there alternatives to steroids? What checks will I need for long-term steroid treatment? What special information should you give your doctor?

Side effects When should I seek medical help? Should I be doing anything to protect my bones from osteoporosis? Can I take other medications along with steroids?