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Is clonidine safe during pregnancy?

Answered by MotherToBaby’s teratology specialists, quoted in full — including the questions most pages skip, like whether a father’s exposure matters.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the MotherToBaby fact sheet for clonidine (OTIS, published via the NIH) sourcesUpdated Jul 21, 2026How we research

The questions people actually ask about clonidine in pregnancy

Answered by MotherToBaby, the fact sheets written by the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists and published through the NIH. Quoted in full — we do not condense them.

I take clonidine. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant?

It is not known if clonidine can make it harder to get pregnant.

Does taking clonidine increase the chance of miscarriage?

Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. It is not known if clonidine increases the chance of miscarriage.

Does taking clonidine increase the chance of birth defects?

Every pregnancy starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a birth defect. This is called the background risk. The use of clonidine in pregnancy is not expected to increase the chance of birth defects above the background risk.

Does taking clonidine in pregnancy increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems?

It is not known if clonidine can cause other pregnancy-related problems, such as preterm delivery (birth before week 37) or low birth weight (weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces [about 2500 grams] at birth).

One report that suggests that clonidine use might lead to a slower heart rate in the person who is pregnant, leading to lower birth weight in the baby. In the cases where clonidine was being used to treat high blood pressure, the blood pressure issues might have played a role in the reduced weight of the baby.

I need to take clonidine throughout my entire pregnancy. Will it cause withdrawal symptoms in my baby after birth?

The use of clonidine during pregnancy can cause temporary symptoms in newborns soon after birth. These symptoms are sometimes referred to as withdrawal. Symptoms might include high / low blood pressure, drowsiness, and irritability. Most of the time the symptoms go away on their own, usually within a few weeks. Not all babies exposed to clonidine will have these symptoms. It is important that your healthcare providers know you are taking clonidine so that if symptoms happen your baby can get the care that is best for them.

Does taking clonidine in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?

It is not known if clonidine increases the chance for behavior or learning issues.

If a male takes clonidine, could it affect fertility or increase the chance of birth defects?

Trouble with getting and keeping an erection (impotence, a form of erectile dysfunction) has been reported in some males with high blood pressure being treated with clonidine. This can affect male fertility (ability to get partner pregnant). In general, exposures that fathers or sperm donors have are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy. For more information, please see the MotherToBaby fact sheet Paternal Exposures at https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/paternal-exposures-pregnancy/ .

Quoted from MotherToBaby Fact Sheets — Clonidine, published January 2024. MotherToBaby states its fact sheets should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare providers.

Breastfeeding is a separate question — what LactMed says about clonidine

This is general reference information, not medical advice. Whether to take any medication in pregnancy is a decision for you and your prescriber; do not start or stop a drug on your own, because an untreated condition can also carry risk.