Quick Study

PREGNANCY

Drug taken for morning sickness does not seem to harm fetus.

THE QUESTION Is a drug approved for heartburn and other gastrointestinal disorders safe for use by pregnant women with morning sickness?

THIS STUDY analyzed data on 81,703 infants, including 3,458 whose mothers had taken Reglan (metoclopramide) to relieve nausea and vomiting during the first trimester of their pregnancy. Overall, 4,016 infants were born with major birth defects -- about 5 percent of the children who'd been exposed to the drug in utero and 5 percent whose mothers did not take the drug. There also was virtually no difference between the groups in the rate of premature births (6 percent), babies born underweight (8 percent) and infants who died shortly after birth (2 percent).

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Pregnant women with morning sickness, which most women experience to some degree. It usually begins during the first month of pregnancy and ends by the 16th week, although it sometimes afflicts women throughout their pregnancy.

CAVEATS Reglan does not have Food and Drug Administration approval for use against morning sickness; the study was conducted in Israel, where it is widely used for that purpose. The study did not evaluate the drug's effectiveness. The FDA requires that Reglan packaging carry a warning that long-term or high-dose use increases the risk for tardive dyskinesia, a movement disorder.

FIND THIS STUDY June 11issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

LEARN MORE ABOUT pregnancy at http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy and http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health.