Vaxcel Methylprednisolone Use In Pregnancy & Lactation

Fertility: There is no evidence that corticosteroids impair fertility. In women treatment with corticosteroids can lead to menstrual irregularities.
Lactation: Corticosteroids are excreted in small amounts in breast milk, however, doses of up to 40mg daily of methylprednisolone are unlikely to cause systemic effects in the infant. Infants of mothers taking higher doses than this may have a degree of adrenal suppression, but the benefits of breast-feeding are likely to outweigh any theoretical risk.
Pregnancy: The ability of corticosteroids to cross the placenta varies between individual drugs, however, methylprednisolone does cross the placenta. Administration of corticosteroids to pregnant animals can cause abnormalities of foetal development including cleft palate, intra-uterine growth retardation and affects on brain growth and development. There is no evidence that corticosteroids result in an increased incidence of congenital abnormalities, such as cleft palate in man, however, when administered for long periods or repeatedly during pregnancy, corticosteroids may increase the risk of intrauterine growth retardation. Hypoadrenalism may, in theory, occur in the neonate following prenatal exposure to corticosteroids but usually resolves spontaneously following birth and is rarely clinically important. As with all drugs, corticosteroids should only be prescribed when the benefits to the mother and child outweigh the risks. When corticosteroids are essential, however, patients with normal pregnancies may be treated as though they were in the non-gravid state. Cataracts have been observed in infants born to mothers undergoing long-term treatment with corticosteroids during pregnancy.