Safety of Doxycycline in Pregnancy Examined

Clinical Takeaway

: Doxycycline exposure was not associated with congenital malformations, although third-trimester exposure might be associated with very low birth weight.

Context

Prescribers generally avoid giving tetracyclines, such as doxycycline, to pregnant patients because of reports of impaired skeletal development, enamel hypoplasia, and permanent tooth discoloration in exposed children. Some researchers, however, have challenged an association between doxycycline and congenital malformations.

More evidence now comes from a population-based, observational, retrospective, cohort study involving over 260,000 pregnancies (including stillbirths and elective terminations) in Israel between 1998 and 2017. Doxycycline use was determined by trimester and cumulative dose. Follow-up of infants lasted until age one year.

Key Results

Of the 1.01% of pregnancies with first-trimester exposure to doxycycline, major cong…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection