Yeast Infection Prescription Drug Linked to Miscarriages Risk
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Taking prescription medications intended for fungal infections during the early stages of pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, a new Danish study finds.
The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, pointed out that taking a common antifungal drug called fluconazole (Diflucan) may contribute to the risk of miscarriage.
To arrive at their findings, researchers studied over 1.4 million pregnancies from 1997 to 2013. They compared pregnancies that were exposed with oral fluconazole and those that were not exposed to any antifungal drug. The study also assessed pregnant women who were exposed to topical formulations of the antifungal medications.
The researchers found that, in over 3,300 women who took oral fluconazole between the 7th and 22nd week in their pregnancy, 147 were found to have miscarried. In contrast, 563 miscarriages were found in more than 13,000 pregnant women who were not exposed to the drug.
"From our study, we can only see that women who have been treated with oral fluconazole more often experience miscarriages than untreated women and women who used a topical [vaginal] antifungal," lead study author Ditte Molgaard-Nielsen said, according to Health Day.
Women who took the drug in the early stages of pregnancy had 50 percent more miscarriage risk compared to those who didn't. Those women who were at an increased risk took a low dose of fluconazole, which is at 150 milligrams, and those who had higher doses have the greatest risk, according to the Associated Press.
In each group of participants, there were only less than 10 percent of women who had miscarriages but it totaled to 710, the AP continued. For this reason, researchers suggest that doctors should observe caution when prescribing fluconazole to their pregnant patients, especially those in the early stages of their pregnancy.
The American Pregnancy Organization stated that yeast infections are common in pregnancy especially during the second trimester. This is due to the many changes a woman's body goes through when she becomes pregnant.
The organization added that physicians usually recommend topical antifungal treatments and suppositories only, since an oral antifungal has not been proven yet to be safe for expectant mothers.
The new study did not prove that the drug is the cause of miscarriages, according to Molgaard-Nielsen.
"Our findings cannot precisely show whether fluconazole causes miscarriage," she said. The researchers stated in their report that further studies are needed to establish the connection. Until then, prescribing oral fluconazole should be done with great caution.
The study also found that "the risk of stillbirth was not significantly increased," but researchers concluded that this finding should be studied further.
