Is clotrimazole 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.
The questions people actually ask about clotrimazole 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.
What should I do if I think I have a vaginal yeast infection while pregnant?
People are more likely to get yeast infections during pregnancy than at other times. If you think you have a vaginal yeast infection, it is important to see your healthcare provider to be sure the infection is yeast before trying to treat it on your own. If you have another type of infection, you may need different treatment.
I use clotrimazole. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant?
Using clotrimazole is not expected to make it harder to get pregnant.
Does using clotrimazole increase the chance of miscarriage?
Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. One study found a small increased chance for miscarriage with use of clotrimazole, but there were several problems with this study that could have affected the results. Other studies have not found that using clotrimazole increases the chance of miscarriage.
Does taking clotrimazole 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. Topical or vaginal medications enter the body in lower amounts than oral (pill) medications. This means less medication reaches the developing fetus. Since topical and vaginal clotrimazole are not well absorbed, they are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy. Most studies have shown that clotrimazole at low doses (<400 mg/day) does not increase the chance of birth defects.
Does using clotrimazole increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems?
Studies have not been done to see if clotrimazole increases the chance for pregnancy-related problems such as preterm delivery (birth before week 37) or low birth weight (weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces [2500 grams] at birth).
Does using clotrimazole in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?
Studies have not been done to see if clotrimazole can cause behavior or learning issues for the child.
If a male uses clotrimazole, could it affect fertility or increase the chance of birth defects?
Studies have not been done to see if clotrimazole could affect male fertility (ability to get partner pregnant) or increase the chance of birth defects above the background risk. 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 — Clotrimazole, published October 2023. 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 clotrimazole
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.