by Laura Stahl

Created on: January 20, 2009

In 1990 the FDA started issuing a warning on aspirin that stated aspirin should be avoided during the last trimester of pregnancy due to it causing complications in the fetus and with the delivery. What was and is still left off the bottles of aspirin is that even prior to the last three months of pregnancy aspirin can cause unknown birth defects and problems in fetuses.

Aspirin is an OTC drug that contains salicylate, which should be avoided during pregnancy. Acetylsalicylate, a common ingredient in many OTC painkillers, may prolong pregnancy and cause excessive bleeding before and after delivery. In the early stages of conception this kind of drug has been know to cause miscarriages and may affect the baby's growth.

In only particular cases, and under a doctor's supervision, should aspirin be taken while pregnant. These rare cases are still under debate, but the only reason a pregnant woman should ever take aspirin is when she is at risk for pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a disorder involving sudden high blood pressure, proteinuria (excess of serum proteins in the urine) and a potentially fatal obstetric complication that can lead to irregular blood flow. This can activate platelets and the clotting system, which in turn slows blood flow. The cause is unknown what causes pre-eclamsia, but antiplatelet agents such as aspirin are thought to prevent pre-eclampsia. This condition exists in 2 to 8% of pregnancies and the use of aspirin for this condition is up to the woman's discretion and caution is still strongly advised.

If birth defects and excess bleeding during delivery aren't enough to convince one that aspirin should not be ingested while pregnant,prostaglandin blockage will. Prostaglandins are hormone like substances that assist a new born baby's body to start receiving oxygen via their lungs rather then through the placenta. At birth a baby's body has a natural drop in prostagladins levels in some of its blood vessels, causing the circulator system to reroute the flow to the lungs. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen (such as Advil, and Motrin,), block the production of these prostaglandins. It is especially important that after 32 weeks of pregnancy that these drugs not be ingested. At this point the risk of to the baby's blood flow could be rerouted in the uterus due to the interference by these drugs, and this could cause potentially fatal problems for the baby.

Aspirin, and pretty much anything a pregnant woman chooses to take, should be carefully thought about prior so. Often something that is dangerous to a fetus isn't known about on a massive scale right away, and requires research first. So, the next time a headache occurs, or some of those pregnancy aches and pains, don't reach for the aspirin call your doctor and ask them what is safe, and maybe even do some research online or at the library first.

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