Nitrofurantoin in Pregnancy 2nd Trimester.

[lioni93]

Hello. My partner has been prescribed Nitrofurantoin for a potential UTI as she's getting burning pains whilst urinating. I looked up online and saw that it can potentially cause birth defects. I'm now worrying and not sure if it's the right thing to be taking? We're about 18/19 weeks pregnant right now. Is there anybody on here that has taken Nitrofurantoin whilst they were pregnant? I'm just anxious reading that it causes birth defects and stuff.

If you look up the BUMPS website (best use of medication in pregnancy) you can find more info on specific medications,

But I would expect the doctor to test the urine before prescribing to confirm that there is infection rather than just prescribe on the basis of symptoms alone

@lioni93 where are you reading that? The only contraindications I'm seeing are in late pregnancy e.g. at 38+ weeks (at delivery etc) as it works on slowing bacterial growth

[quote ddshocker]@lioni93 where are you reading that? The only contraindications I'm seeing are in late pregnancy e.g. at 38+ weeks (at delivery etc) as it works on slowing bacterial growth[/quote]
Hi ddshockker, just when I google is Nitrofurantoin safe in pregnancy it comes up with studies that were liniked with birth defects.

@lioni93 with all due respect if you type it in THAT way (asking specifically!) then yes you are BOUND to get something that links it to birth defects etc...You could do the same with paracetamol. And I have found articles linking paracetamol intake pregnancy leading to adhd etc etc (all from non Medical articles)

Stop worrying and googling. But if you are going want information the the PIL is what you should be reading, that's what it is for.

[quote ddshocker]@lioni93 with all due respect if you type it in THAT way (asking specifically!) then yes you are BOUND to get something that links it to birth defects etc...You could do the same with paracetamol. And I have found articles linking paracetamol intake pregnancy leading to adhd etc etc (all from non Medical articles)

Stop worrying and googling. But if you are going want information the the PIL is what you should be reading, that's what it is for. [/quote]
Well that is why I was anxious, I was just wondering if there were people on here that may have taken it during their pregnancies. If the only concern is taking it at around 38+ weeks then I'm sure there's nothing to worry about

@lioni93 all will be fine. Hopefully your partner won't be taking it for long and she will feel better soon. Relax and enjoy...and congratulations 🥳

NICE guidance recommends nitrofurantoin in pregnancy as the safest option except for very close to term. It's the right one for a UTI at 18 weeks www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng109/chapter/recommendations#choice-of-antibiotic (see table 2 for pregnant woken)

Look at NICE, it's fine to take up until you're at term. I had 5 courses of nitrofurantoin between weeks 22-27 of my pregnancy to get rid of a recurrent UTI, I was then given a 4 week low dose course of cefalexin which finally shifted it. DS was born 4 weeks ago with no defects. Nitrofurantoin is the best thing to take for a UTI, the only reason they switched me was because the consultant originally said I would need to be on antibiotics until I gave birth which would've meant them inducing me at 37 weeks if I stayed on nitrofurantoin.

Make sure they're sending a urine sample to the lab to be checked though!

I took it for a very nasty UTI in my pregnancy (I can’t remember how many weeks I was, probably around 20 or so.

My boy is 16 months and all is well.

I took
It for the first two trimesters. My boys do not have birth defects

I had it at six weeks pregnant and had it in my last pregnancy

I had it for a UTI that was found late after a lost urine test - it made me really sick so had to stop taking it. I was given a different antibiotic but the UTI never really went away - they put me on low dose antibiotics and stopped testing. DS was born with neonatal sepsis, probably because of my UTI which was pretty scary - I wish I'd taken my UTI more seriously. He doesn't have any birth defects and is fine now.

I took it during pregnancy. It didn’t clear up the original UTI, so I had an extended dose. Currently 35 weeks pregnant and everything is fine. An untreated UTI is far more dangerous for her and the baby

@lioni93 I'm currently taking it at 34 weeks. I have previously taken it 2 months ago and baby is well currently. My doctor specifically phoned me to check how far into pregnancy I was as they don't give it to pregnancy women after its either 36 or 38 weeks but under is safe and they didn't have any worries prescribing it.

If it burns when she pees it could be the uti itself. This is common but call the docs and just check in with them

It's fine:

emc-prod-wa.azurewebsites.net/emc/product/428/smpc#gref

I'm a pharmacist and was strangely on this exact webpage when I decided to take a MN break from coursework!

Thanks for all the replies guys definitely put my mind at ease!

I took it literally daily through my whole pregnancy (had recurring uti due to needing to use a catheter) except they stopped it at 37 weeks and switched to a different antibiotic. Perfectly healthy baby and it was my consultant that prescribed everything so can't imagine it's not safe. Did say after 38 weeks it increases the risk of jaundice so obviously stopped at that point. Hth x