Caution Pregnant Women Using Erythromycin

Erythromycin in Pregnancy and during Breastfeeding

Erythromycin in Pregnant Women

Knowing that one has become pregnant is a wonderful feeling that makes a woman more complete and beautiful in all respects. Motherhood is accompanied with all things tender and soft and the God given ability to nurse a child. Breastfeeding and what a mother consumes have a direct relationship and the same applies to medication also. Erythromycin is one common medication that is usually considered very safe for the unborn baby and even when the lady is breastfeeding a child. However, the issue has many ramifications and as such requires close analysis.

In fact, it is before becoming pregnant that a lady should find out about medication that is safe during pregnancy. Girls use medications for treatment of acne problems and this includes erythromycin that is available in the market under many brand names such as EryPed, E-Mycin, Robimycin, E.E.S, Eryc and so on. There are some medications that remain in the body even after their course is complete and the risk factor to the baby in the womb is at its peak when his limbs are forming (during 1st and 2nd months of pregnancy).

Skin crèmes containing erythromycin are considered safe both for the lady as well as unborn child. However, oral erythromycin to treat bacterial infections, though primarily safe, is to be treated with caution and left on the discretion of the doctor. In the case of women who are breastfeeding, doctors calculate the benefits and prescribe the drug to the lady when they feel that these benefits outweigh the risk to the child. You may be surprised to hear that erythromycin is considered so safe that it is directly administered to infants. It is only in rare cases that there are side effects such as diarrhea, thrush or pyloric stenosis.

Sometimes doctors prescribe E.E.S suspension to nursing mothers and this suspension finds its way into their breast milk which could be harmful for the kid. It is prudent to consult your gynecologist if there is any harm to the baby or not. It has been seen that erythromycin even crosses the placenta and into the body of the unborn child. In rare cases, this drug that reaches the body of the unborn child has caused absence of left tibia syndrome in the child.

Secretion of antibiotic into breast milk is a common phenomenon and erythromycin is no exception. It is secreted into mother’s milk in small amounts that have been considered to be within safe limits for the child. American Academy of Pediatrics has found erythromycin to be safe for breast feeding moms. Despite this assurance, there are cases where doctors have advised against taking erythromycin depending upon the medical condition of the women.

In conclusion, it can be said that the levels of erythromycin in breast milk have been found to be low and safe for consumption of the child though there have been rare cases where children have exhibited rare symptoms of diarrhea, thrush, rashes etc. In extreme cases, it has been found that there are increased chances of infant developing pyloric stenosis.

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