Pregnancy risk from blood pressure drugs?
By Nathan Seppa
Babies exposed in the first trimester of their mother’s pregnancy to blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors are at an increased risk of birth defects, according to a new study. The drugs already carry a warning against their use during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy because of the danger of kidney damage in the fetus.
A review of the records of 29,507 infants in Tennessee showed that 209 babies had been exposed to ACE inhibitors during the first trimester in the womb. The records reveal that the mothers of another 202 babies had taken other blood pressure drugs during the first trimester and the rest of the infants had no exposure to blood pressure medicines.