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

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

Studies have not been done to see if oxymetazoline can make it harder to get pregnant.

Does taking oxymetazoline increase the chance of miscarriage?

Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. Studies have not been done to see if oxymetazoline can increase the chance of miscarriage.

Does taking oxymetazoline 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 oxymetazoline, might increase the chance of birth defects in a pregnancy. Studies do not suggest a higher chance of birth defects with the use of oxymetazoline at recommended doses in pregnancy.

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

Studies have not been done to see if oxymetazoline can increase the chance of 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).

In a report of 12 pregnancies in women with allergies, sinus infection, or a cold, but who were otherwise healthy, a one-time nasal spray dose of oxymetazoline did not change blood flow to the uterus.

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

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

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

Studies have not been done to see if oxymetazoline could affect a man’s fertility (ability to get a woman pregnant) or increase the chance of birth defects. 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 — Oxymetazoline, published May 2025. 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 oxymetazoline

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.