27.01 Introduction

It is a condition of use of many drugs that extra care and attention should be used when administered to pregnant women. It is well established that some drugs can have temporary or permanent effects on the developing foetus. Drugs that have such an effect are known as teratogens, the most notorious being thalidomide which was prescribed to pregnant women as a treatment for morning sickness and resulted in a variety of serious birth defects for many thousands of babies. However, this chapter is concerned with drugs that are used to treat medical complaints arising from problems occurring in pregnancy and labour and not with adverse effects on mother or foetus as a result of drug administration.