Takingprednisonewhile pregnant carries a small increased risk of cleft lip or palate, premature delivery, and low birth weight.
Because these risks are only slightly elevated, your healthcare provider may still recommend taking the medication forinflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, it’s natural to have questions about taking prednisone during pregnancy.
This article discusses prednisone use during pregnancy and its possible effects on a developing fetus.
Maria Teijeiro / OJO Images / Getty Images
IBD and Pregnancy
Medications for your chronic conditions may be clearly needed during pregnancy. If your healthcare provider recommends medications like prednisone (corticosteroids), it means they believe the risks of the drug are likely lower than the risk of not taking them.
If you have IBD, it’s important to be in remission or to have the IBD as under control as possible before getting pregnant.
However, even if a pregnancy is unplanned, many good medication options can help control IBD inflammation. Reducing inflammation from IBD is going to be a key factor in ensuring as healthy a pregnancy as possible.
List of Medications You Can and Can’t Take While Pregnant
CautionIt’s potentially dangerous to abruptlystop taking prednisone.It’s best to talk to your healthcare provider about any concerns. You should decide whether to discontinue the medication after consulting with anobstetricianand agastroenterologist, preferably one who specializes in IBD and pregnancy.
Caution
It’s potentially dangerous to abruptlystop taking prednisone.It’s best to talk to your healthcare provider about any concerns. You should decide whether to discontinue the medication after consulting with anobstetricianand agastroenterologist, preferably one who specializes in IBD and pregnancy.
Prednisone and Possible Birth Defects
Prednisone during pregnancy has been associated with:
These risks appear to be small, however, and in people with IBD, evidence shows that major birth defects are not likely.
In some research looking into the risks of prednisone during pregnancy, the small risk seen in general was not as great in people taking prednisone for IBD.
What Are Prednisone Side Effects?
Cleft Lip or Palate
There is a very small risk of a cleft lip or palate in babies born to people who take prednisone during pregnancy, in particular when the prednisone is taken in the first trimester.
However, it is unknown how much of this risk could actually be due to the underlying chronic medical condition that the person has for which they are taking prednisone and how much of it is from the actual drug.
Surgical Repair of Cleft Lip and Palate
Premature Delivery
Some studies have shown that pregnant people taking prednisone have a slight increase in delivering their babies early (preterm delivery).
One study in people withsystemic lupus erythematosis(SLE or lupus)—an inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues—showed that people with active lupus who took more than 10 milligrams of prednisone per day had an increased risk of preterm delivery.
However, one study of pregnant people with IBD showed that the medications used to treat IBD, such as prednisone, did not have any significant effect on preterm delivery.
Low Birth Weight
However, the same study that showed no effect of IBD medications on preterm delivery also showed that IBD medications had no effect on birth weight.
Summary
The use of prednisone during pregnancy is associated with a slight increase in the risk of cleft lip or palate, low birth weight, and premature birth.
If your healthcare provider prescribes prednisone during pregnancy, it’s because they feel the benefits outweigh the risks. Prednisone can help you keep your IBD under control during your pregnancy.
A Word From Verywell
The evidence is somewhat conflicting, indicating that much is still unknown regarding the risks to the fetus when you take prednisone during pregnancy.
However, most studies show the risks are low, and no studies on people with IBD have shown that prednisone presents a risk of major birth defects.Even so, it’s recommended that you only use prednisone if it’s clearly needed to treat your IBD.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bandoli G, Palmsten K, Forbess Smith CJ, Chambers CD.A review of systemic corticosteroid use in pregnancy and the risk of select pregnancy and birth outcomes.Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2017;43(3):489–502. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2017.04.013
Crohns and Colitis Foundation.Fact sheet: pregnancy.
Wahab F, Rahman RA, Yaacob LH, Noor NM, Draman N.A case report of steroid withdrawal syndrome.Korean J Fam Med. 2020;41(5):359-362. doi:10.4082/kjfm.18.0181
University of Alberta IBD Clinic.Medications during pregnancy.
Smith MA, Sanderson JD.Management of inflammatory bowel disease in pregnancy.Obstet Med. 2010;3(2):59-64. doi:10.1258/om.2010.100010
de Jesus GR, Mendoza-Pinto C, de Jesus NR, et al.Understanding and managing pregnancy in patients with lupus.Autoimmune Dis. 2015;2015:943490. doi:10.1155/2015/943490
Cao RH, Grimm MC.Pregnancy and medications in inflammatory bowel disease.Obstet Med.2021;14(1):4-11. doi:10.1177/1753495X20919214
Huang VW, Chang HJ, Kroeker KI, et al.Management of inflammatory bowel disease during pregnancy and breastfeeding varies widely: a need for further education.Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016;2016:6193275. doi:10.1155/2016/6193275
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
