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

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

A small number of limited studies that have looked at use of melatonin among people with infertility who were undergoing in vitro-fertilization (IVF) treatments have not shown an increase in pregnancy rates.

Does taking melatonin increase the chance of miscarriage?

This has not been well studied. Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. Studies that have looked at melatonin use for infertility have not shown any increases in the chance of miscarriage.

Does taking melatonin 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. It is not known if taking melatonin would increase the chance of birth defects. The few studies that have been done in humans with the use of melatonin for the treatments of some conditions in pregnancy (to reduce blood loss during C-section and improve success of in vitro fertilization) have not suggested an increased chance of birth defects.

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

Studies have not been done to see if taking melatonin supplements can increase the chance of other 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). Studies exploring the use of melatonin to reduce blood loss during C-section deliveries found mixed results with 3 studies showing less blood loss and 1 study showing no difference in blood loss.

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

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

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

Based on the studies reviewed, it is not known if melatonin supplements 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 the 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 — Melatonin, published April 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 melatonin

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.