Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding often need to take prescription medications.
The use of prescription medication during pregnancy and while breastfeeding has increased over the past several decades. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding often need to take prescription medications for pregnancy-related conditions, new short-term conditions, or medical conditions that require ongoing treatment, such as asthma, high blood pressure and depression.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that most women take at least one prescription medication at some point during pregnancy. In addition, more than half of women take a prescription medication in the months after delivery, according to the CDC.
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves a prescription medication for adults,…