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Is guaifenesin 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 guaifenesin (OTIS, published via the NIH) sourcesUpdated Jul 21, 2026How we research

The questions people actually ask about guaifenesin 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 guaifenesin. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant?

Based on the studies reviewed, guaifenesin is not expected to make it harder to get pregnant.

Does taking guaifenesin increase the chance of miscarriage?

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

Does taking guaifenesin increase the chance of birth defects?

Birth defects can happen in any pregnancy for different reasons. Out of all babies born each year, about 3 out of 100 (3%) will have a birth defect. We look at research studies to try to understand if an exposure, like guaifenesin, might increase the chance of birth defects in a pregnancy.

Guaifenesin is not expected to greatly increase the chance of birth defects. There are a few studies that suggest an increased chance of some birth defects. However, most available information suggests that if guaifenesin does increase the chance of birth defects, that increase is expected to be low.

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

Studies have not been done to see if guaifenesin can increase 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 taking guaifenesin in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?

Studies have not been done to see if guaifenesin can cause behavior or learning issues for the child.

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

It is not known if guaifenesin could affect a man’s fertility (ability to get a woman pregnant) or increase the chance of birth defects above the background risk. There is a case report in which improvement in sperm count and movement (motility) was noted after treatment with guaifenesin. In general, exposures that men 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 — Guaifenesin, published December 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 guaifenesin

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.