Cipro During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

If you are pregnant or may become pregnant or breastfeeding, you should talk to your doctor before taking the medication Cipro. This drug should not be taken while you are breastfeeding as it has been shown to pass through breast milk and has the potential to be harmful to a nursing infant.

Cipro During Pregnancy

Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) has been placed in category C by the FDA regarding its level of safety during pregnancy; this means it is not known if this drug will harm an unborn baby if it is taken while pregnant. The recommendation for using a drug in category C is that it only be used if the potential benefits outweigh the risks. An example of this type of situation would occur in a pregnant patient who has an infection and cannot take other antibiotics because of drug allergies or other reasons.

Category C is also the classification automatically given to drugs that have not had studies done on pregnant women but that have been shown to cause fetal harm in animal studies. Medications that have not yet been studied in pregnant humans or animals are also automatically classified in category C.

There have been cases reported of birth defects in babies whose mothers took Cipro while pregnant; however, these reports have not led to one type of birth defect being more commonly reported.

Animal Studies

There are no controlled studies on Cipro in pregnant women. Studies have only been performed on animals, therefore it is not known if this drug is safe to take during pregnancy. When Cipro was given to pregnant rabbits, an increase in the risk for miscarriage occurred; however, when high doses of the drug were given to pregnant rats and mice there were no reported problems.

It is important to remember in animal studies, that animals do not always have the same response to medications that humans do. The result of animal studies on Cipro was placement of the drug in category C; this medication should only be used in cases where the potential benefits outweigh the risks.

Cipro and Breastfeeding

Women who are breastfeeding should not take Cipro as it has been shown to pass through breast milk in small amounts. There are no controlled studies that determine the amount of this drug that may be absorbed by a nursing child. Ciprofloxacin can cause severe muscle and joint problems in children, which raises the concern that Cipro exposure through breast milk to a nursing infant could be harmful. In certain cases where the benefits of this medication outweigh the potential risks, it may be taken by women who are breastfeeding.

Cipro has been placed in category C by the FDA. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should talk to a doctor before taking this medication in order to weigh the potential risks and benefits. Women who are breastfeeding should not take this drug as it has been shown to pass through breast milk and could be harmful to the child.