Saw palmetto, made from a plant also known as Serenoa repens, is best known for its use in treating male prostate problems. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome, better known as PCOS, may also take saw palmetto to treat hormonal imbalances or to prevent male-pattern hair loss. If you get pregnant, it's important to stop saw palmetto immediately, because its hormonal effects could cause miscarriage or other pregnancy problems.
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Saw palmetto appears to inhibit 5-α-reductase, an enzyme that converts testosterone, the dominant male hormone, into dihydrotestosterone, also called DHT. Dihydrotestosterone is the active form of testosterone in the body. Although testosterone is the main male hormone, women also have a certain amount of the hormone. Women with PCOS have excess amounts, so taking this drug decreases symptoms associated with high androgen levels, such as hirsutism and acne. Saw palmetto also affects estrogen, the dominant female hormone and one of the hormones necessary to maintain a pregnancy.
Effects
When you're pregnant, taking saw palmetto could have anti-estrogenic effects, meaning that it could decrease estrogen levels in your body. If estrogen levels drop, you could have a miscarriage. Taking saw palmetto during pregnancy could also cause genital abnormalities in a male fetus, because development of normal genitalia in males depends on the presence of DHT.
Studies
No studies have been done on the effects of saw palmetto in pregnancy either to prove that the supplement can cause harm or to prove that it's safe for use in pregnancy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved this supplement for safe use in pregnancy. National Institutes of Health online medical encyclopedia Medline Plus considers it likely unsafe during pregnancy.
Considerations
When you're pregnant, consider any drug or supplement that you take as potentially harmful until proven otherwise, especially if the drug has direct effects on hormone levels. Tinctures of saw palmetto may also contain large amounts of alcohol, according to MayoClinic.com, which can also harm the fetus during pregnancy.
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