If you are pregnant, you have to be especially careful about the medications that you take, as they may affect the health of your developing baby. Calcium channel blockers are often prescribed for cardiovascular problems, but they may be dangerous for pregnant women. Talk to your doctor about the safety of your medications if you become pregnant and take calcium channel blockers.
Understanding Calcium Channel Blockers
Calcium channel blockers are a group of medications that keep calcium from getting into your blood vessels and heart cells. This causes your blood vessels to dilate and makes your heart beat more slowly and with less force. Both of these effects lower your blood pressure. Calcium channel blockers can also treat a rapid or irregular heartbeat; they are also prescribed for patients who experience a type of chest pain known as angina.
Calcium Channel Blocker and Pregnancy
Calcium channel blockers may not be safe for pregnant women. Studies done on animals showed that these medications can harm the fetus when given during pregnancy, but well-designed studies have not been performed in humans, notes eMedTV. As a result, calcium channel blockers are designated as Pregnancy Category C by the Food and Drug Administration, which means that studies have found them to be dangerous in animals, but that there is no data for humans.
Safety During First Trimester
Although doctors generally do not prescribe calcium channel blockers to pregnant women, you may already be taking a calcium channel blocker when you become pregnant, exposing your fetus to this drug before you are aware of your pregnancy. This may not harm your infant, however. A study published in September 2008 in "Reproductive Toxicology" examined the effects of calcium channel blockers during the first trimester on a fetus's risk of developing birth defects. This study found that infants born to mothers taking calcium channel blockers during the first trimester were not more likely to have birth defects.
Considerations
If you are taking calcium channel blockers and plan to become pregnant, talk to your doctor about different treatment options. Although the effects of calcium channel blockers on pregnant women have not been well characterized, the risks are serious enough that you should avoid taking these medications if you are pregnant. Do not stop taking any prescribed medication when you become pregnant without talking to your doctor first.
