- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical editor-in-chief, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for MayoClinic.com to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a consultant and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education for Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs before taking this leadership role. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this Web site. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
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Question
Antibiotics and pregnancy: What's safe?
Is it safe to take antibiotics during pregnancy?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
If you develop a bacterial infection during pregnancy, antibiotics can nearly always be taken safely. The specific medication must be chosen carefully, however. Some antibiotics are OK to take during pregnancy, while others are not. Safety depends on various factors, including the type of antibiotic, when in your pregnancy you take the antibiotic, how much you take and for how long.
Here's a sampling of antibiotics generally considered safe during pregnancy:
- Amoxicillin
- Ampicillin
- Clindamycin
- Erythromycin
- Penicillin
Certain other antibiotics should be avoided during pregnancy. For example, tetracyclines — such as doxycycline, tetracycline and minocycline — can damage a pregnant woman's liver, discolor a developing baby's teeth and cause various birth defects.
In addition, it's important to note that a recent study found an association between two classes of antibiotics commonly used to treat urinary tract infections — nitrofuran derivatives and sulfonamides — and rare birth defects. Although there's no direct proof that these antibiotics cause birth defects, additional research is needed. In the meantime, health care providers are likely to be more cautious in the use of these medications during pregnancy.
If an antibiotic is the best way to treat your condition — you have a urinary tract infection, for example, or you test positive for group B strep late in pregnancy (in which case antibiotics are given during labor) — your health care provider will prescribe the safest antibiotic at the safest dosage.
Next questionSeasonal flu shot in pregnancy: Is it safe?
- Briggs GG, et al. Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
- Urinary tract infections. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp050.cfm. Accessed June 4, 2009.
- Group B streptococcus and pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp105.cfm. Accessed June 4, 2009.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 3, 2009.
- Crider KS, et al. Antibacterial medication use during pregnancy and risk of birth defects. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2009;163:978.
