Skip to content
ppharmaranks
Menu
CompaniesProductsDrug classesConditionsBest by conditionTreatmentsInteraction checkerFood & medicinesWhat pharmacies payPill identifierMedicines & breastfeedingChildren’s dosage chartsDo medicines expire?Crushing & splitting pillsDrug recallsSupplementsSafety & lawsuitsGuidesA–ZHow we rate

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

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

It is not known if pseudoephedrine could make it harder to get pregnant.

Does taking pseudoephedrine 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 pseudoephedrine increases the chance for miscarriage.

Does taking pseudoephedrine 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. Most studies looking at the use of pseudoephedrine in pregnancy have not found an increased chance for birth defects. However, some studies have found a small increased chance for specific birth defects, such as gastroschisis (an opening in the baby’s abdominal wall), small intestinal atresia (part of the small intestine is not fully developed) and hemifacial microsomia (part of the face is smaller than usual). The risk for these birth defects, if any, is considered to be small.

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

It is not known if pseudoephedrine 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 [2500 grams] at birth).

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

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

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

Studies have not been done to see if pseudoephedrine 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 — Pseudoephedrine, published March 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 pseudoephedrine

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.