pregnancy of an allergic woman

[ciopot]

Greeting to all doctors out there, me and my wife really want a baby of our own. the problem is she has allergies to dust, grass, food and drugs. An allergiologist even says that she could not take any pain reliever. What will be the circumstances if we pursue our dream of having a baby? please help us....

[Debbie Miller, RN]

Hello,
Your wife should be able to take acetaminophen safely. As for other medications, some doctors recommend timing pregnancy to coincide with the time of year the allergies are not so bad, often in winter. Then, once through the initial 3 months, many providers allow their patients to take some types of allergy medications such as antihistamines. The safest course is to take only necessary medications in pregnancy but it is entirely possible the meds you wife may need are actually safe even at the beginning of pregnancy. Since we do not test on pregnant women, we can't claim safety (on packaging, etc.) but over time it has been learned that there are few which truly are teratogenic (birth-defect causing). There are teratology agencies who study these and can advise you. Otispregnancy.org is such an organization.

Millions of women have allergies and they are able to have children so I would not be so quick to write it off in your case.

Best wishes.