Corticoesteroids during second trimester

[MariR]

Hello everyone!!
I am waiting for my second LO ( 20 weeks), and last week I got a cold that turn into sinusitis. I visited the OTR and she prescribed betamethasone ( 4 days) and antibiotics. I have checked with my gynaecologist and she did not raise a concern, so I went ahead with the treatment to avoid complications from the sinus infection. Now, I started to read a lot about the effects of corticosteroids during pregnancy and now I am freaking out about the potential long term effects. I feel quite angry that I did not read more before and also that my doctor did not mention anything about the possible risks. Do some of you have experience with corticosteroids during pregnancy? Also suggestions to stop being so worried? I can not let it go, I am terrified that I have harmed my baby . Thanks in advance!

Hiya @MariR I've had terrible allergies and my asthma has worsened during my pregnancy (23 weeks) , I am on asthma inhalers already but my GP added nasonex which is a low dose corticosteroid. It is completely safe to take during pregnancy. It's such a low dose that it doesn't really get absorbed into the placenta.

Also, during pregnancy your body produces a huge amount of natural steroids, so there is no harm in taking low doses. My dad used to be an obs & gynae so this is trustworthy ☺️

Thanks a lot for your post @browneyedgirl626 ! I hope you are feeling better of your allergies!

Betamethasone is given to women in pregnancy who are at risk of preterm labour. It helps to mature the baby's lungs. It's safe in pregnancy 😊

I take my inhaler every day as I have asthma which is a corticosteroid. I was told that it’s not enough to even reach the placenta as it’s taken locally in the lungs.