SAFE USE OF DRUGS DURING PREGNANCY IN FOCUS OF INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE OF PHARMACOVIGILANCE SYSTEM AND TERATOLOGICAL INFORMATION SERVICE ORGANIZATION

Abstract

The safe use of drugs during pregnancy is essential to optimize the health of both pregnant woman and her future child. At the same time obstetrician-gynecologists often face the lack of evidence-based information on the use of drugs and leave the issue to the woman herself — whether the treatment benefit to the mother outweighs risks to the unborn child — relying on the limited amount of scientific data. Preconception discussion of actual risks and safe treatment reduces patient fears and maximizes the emphasis on the therapy safety. At the same time, the lack of adequate information on safety for the majority of drugs used by pregnant women combined with the need to make appropriate treatment decisions and communicate drug risk information to a potentially vulnerable population is the most challenging and critical issue of pregnant women's health.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• drug safety
• information
• preconception counseling