If you get pregnant while taking diet pills, or begin to worry about your weight while pregnant and wish to consider taking diet pills, you should talk to your doctor. Most obstetricians don't recommend dieting of any kind during pregnancy due to the risk of fetal malnutrition. Furthermore, most diet pills are not FDA approved and are not considered safe for use during pregnancy.
Pregnancy and Weight
During pregnancy, most women need to gain weight to be healthy. If you're of average, healthy body composition prior to pregnancy, you'll likely need to gain 25 to 35 lb. to help ensure adequate fetal growth, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby." Even women who are quite overweight prior to becoming pregnant generally need to gain a small amount of weight or at least maintain their weight during pregnancy.
Dieting
In general, obstetricians don't recommend or condone dieting during pregnancy. There's a risk when you diet that you'll take in too few nutrients to support your growing baby, which increases the risk of preterm labor and insufficient fetal growth. Having a low-birth-weight baby puts the child at risk for a variety of health complications. Whether you're dieting by over-exercising, restricting calories or taking pills, you'll want to have your obstetrician's approval before continuing with or starting any diet plan with a weight loss goal.
Diet Pills Not Approved by FDA
Most diet pills aren't FDA approved, meaning they haven't been tested for safety and efficacy. Instead, they fall under the classification of dietary supplements, meaning that they're not required to have been proven either safe or effective per the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. As such, these supplements could prove harmful to you or your unborn baby, either because they contain intrinsically toxic ingredients or because they contain ingredients that could pose harm to your fetus. You should avoid all non-FDA-approved diet pills during pregnancy.
Approved by FDA
There are also several diet pills -- some prescription, some over-the-counter -- that have been approved by the FDA. The vast majority of these, including the popular over-the-counter Alli, aren't appropriate for use during pregnancy. Some, including Meridia, come with the recommendation that you use birth control while taking the diet pills, notes Drugs.com. Others, like Xenical, may be appropriate for use during pregnancy with your obstetrician's approval. You'll want to talk to your doctor before beginning or continuing any FDA-approved diet pill therapy during pregnancy.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- FDA: Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act
- Drugs.com: Meridia
- Drugs.com: Xenical
