title: Prescription drug use in pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to provide information on the prevalence of the use of prescription drugs among pregnant women in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was conducted with the use of the automated databases of 8 health maintenance organizations that are involved in the Health Maintenance Research Network Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics. Women who delivered of an infant in a hospital from January 1, 1996, through December 31, 2000, were identified. Prescription drug use according to therapeutic class and the United States Food and Drug Administration risk classification system was evaluated, with the assumption of a gestational duration of 270 days, with three 90-day trimesters of pregnancy, and with a 90-day period before pregnancy. Nonprescription drug use was not assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the period 1996 through 2000, 152,531 deliveries were identified that met the criteria for study. For 98,182 deliveries (64%), a drug other than a vitamin or mineral supplement was prescribed in the 270 days before delivery: 3595 women (2.4%) received a drug from category A; 76,292 women (50.0%) received a drug from category B; 57,604 women (37.8%) received a drug from category C; 7333 women (4.8%) received a drug from category D, and 6976 women (4.6%) received a drug from category X of the United States Food and Drug Administration risk classification system. Overall, 5157 women (3.4%) received a category D drug, and 1653 women (1.1%) received a category X drug after the initial prenatal care visit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our finding that almost one half of all pregnant women received prescription drugs from categories C, D, or X of the United States Food and Drug Administration risk classification system highlights the importance of the need to understand the effects of these medications on the developing fetus and on the pregnant woman.
authors.affiliation: Meyers Primary Care Institute-Fallon Healthcare System and University of Massachusetts Medical School, 630 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, USA. sandrade@meyersprimary.org
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Jerry H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Gurwitz
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: K Arnold
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fortman
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McPhillips
authors.forename: Marsha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Raebel
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roblin
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Marianne Ulcickas
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Yood
authors.forename: Abraham N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Morse
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Platt
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States