Correlates of prescription drug use during pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the extent of prescription drug use and the use of category D or X drugs during pregnancy and examine the maternal characteristics associated with use.


METHODS
Medical record and survey data from an observational cohort of pregnant women from 2001 to 2003 (n=1626) were analyzed to examine the use of prescription drugs and the use of category D or X drugs.


RESULTS
A majority of these pregnant women were prescribed a prescription drug (56%), and 4% of women were prescribed a category D or X drug. The most common classes of medications prescribed were antibiotics (62%), analgesics (18%), asthma medications (18%), and antiemetics (17%). After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, African American women were more likely to use a prescription drug than white women. Lower levels of educational attainment were also associated with greater use of prescription drugs compared with women who had graduated from college. Women with a chronic health condition, gestational diabetes, a prenatal hospitalization, a history of infertility, or symptoms of acid reflux were also more likely to use a prescription drug than women without these conditions. Nulliparous women and women who were married or living with a partner were less likely to use category D or X drugs during pregnancy than women without these characteristics. Women with a history of infertility and those with a chronic health condition were more likely to use a category D or X drugs during pregnancy than those without these conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
The common use of prescription drugs during pregnancy supports the importance of expanding the evidence about the risks and benefits of prescription drug use during pregnancy and suggests the need for systems to safeguard prescribing practices for women of reproductive age.
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, Massachusetts 02120-1613, USA.
Erika Hyde
EH
Riley
Elena
E
Fuentes-Afflick
Rebecca A
RA
Jackson
Gabriel J
GJ
Escobar
Phyllis
P
Brawarsky
Meighan
M
Schreiber
Jennifer S
JS
Haas
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations