You're right to be concerned about drugs during pregnancy, because some types of medicine can harm the unborn child. However, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that paracetamol, if used occasionally, increases the risk to the baby. You should be careful about taking them more than two or three times a week, but it's usually preferred over other painkillers.
Aspirin is best avoided, especially towards the end of pregnancy, although there's some research looking at whether in low doses, in the early stages, it may help to prevent miscarriage. There's also a risk of problems with ibuprofen.
Different drugs affect the baby at different stages
When a pregnant woman takes medicine, some types are able to cross the placenta into the baby's bloodstream. The medicine may then either harm the baby or interfere with its normal development. Different drugs have different effects at particular stages of pregnancy.
So some may be especially dangerous early on (for example, thalidomide was used as a treatment for morning sickness but this is just the period in the pregnancy when limbs are growing and other major developmental changes were taking place), while others are more harmful in the later stages or may interfere with labour.
Often women take medicine in the early weeks of pregnancy before even realising they're pregnant. So if you're trying to conceive, or there's a risk you could become pregnant, you should always check with your doctor about any medications you're taking.
Drugs taken right at the end of pregnancy or during labour (including the drugs used by anaesthetists if it's a caesarean birth under general anaesthetic) can affect the baby after it's born. For example, major painkillers and anaesthetic drugs can leave the baby very drowsy and interfere with feeding early on.
Get headaches checked
Headaches happen during pregnancy, just like during the rest of life, and in most cases there's no worrying cause.
But there are one or two conditions specific to pregnancy which can cause headaches. In particular, an increase in blood pressure linked to pre-eclampsia and eclampsia may cause severe headaches - and this can be a dangerous development. This usually occurs later in the pregnancy than 12 weeks, but if the headaches persist, ensure your wife gets her blood pressure checked.
A few simple rules:
- Always assume all medicine is potentially harmful, and avoid it in pregnancy until you've checked it out with a doctor or pharmacist.
- Tell your doctor if you might be pregnant before they give or prescribe any treatment to you.
- If you take regular medicine, tell your doctor as soon as you start to try for a baby.
This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Trisha Macnair in August 2008
