Abstract:

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the demographic characteristics, maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women receiving cardiovascular medications (CVMs) during pregnancy and admitted to the Teratogenicity Information Service (TIS). Patients and methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study, a total of 47 pregnant women (mean age: 34.0±5.5 years; range, 19 to 41 years) who were admitted to the TIS of Dokuz Eylul University were included between January 2014 and December 2016. Demographic characteristics, types of the CVMs, concomitant medication and/or substance use, medical and obstetric histories of cases, and maternal and neonatal outcomes were evaluated. Results: The most commonly used drugs were beta-receptor antagonists. The mean gestational age at the time of delivery was 35.9±8.2 weeks and 42 infants (89.4%) were healthy. Five pregnancies (10.6%) ended in miscarriage or elective termination. No malformation was found in healthy live newborns. Conclusion: The use of CVMs during pregnancy remains as a challenging issue, as their potential effects on the developing fetus are not fully known. Based on these study results, it is difficult to determine safety of CVMs during pregnancy and establish a causal relationship between maternal/neonatal outcomes and CVMs exposure.

Keywords: