Pregnancy Breastfeeding And Fertility While Taking Propranolol

Propranolol and pregnancy

You can take propranolol during pregnancy.

Propranolol can sometimes affect your baby's growth. You will be offered extra growth scans in later pregnancy (usually from 32 weeks) to check that your baby is growing.

If you're trying to get pregnant or you're already pregnant, talk to your doctor about whether taking propranolol is right for you, or if different medicine might be better during pregnancy.

For more information about how propranolol can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, visit the Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) website.

Propranolol and breastfeeding

If your baby is healthy, it's OK to take propranolol while breastfeeding. Always check with a pharmacist or doctor before taking it.

Propranolol passes into breast milk in tiny amounts. It has not been known to cause any side effects in breastfed babies.

It's very rare for breastfed babies to have side effects from medicines you're taking. But it's important to keep monitoring your baby if you're taking any medicine while breastfeeding

It's important to keep taking propranolol to keep you well. Breastfeeding will also benefit both you and your baby.

Contact your healthcare professional or call 111 as soon as possible if you notice that your baby:

is not feeding as well as usual, or not putting on weight as you would expect
seems unusually sleepy, tired or weak
looks much paler than usual
seems sweaty or shaky
has changes in their breathing
has an upset stomach (such as constipation or diarrhoea)

If your baby has any symptoms that are not listed, or if you're worried about them, you can also call 111 or contact any healthcare professional.

Propranolol and fertility

There's no evidence that propranolol affects fertility in men or women.

If you're trying to get pregnant, or you're having problems getting pregnant while on propranolol, speak to your doctor.

Tell your doctor if you're:

trying to get pregnant
pregnant
breastfeeding

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
Photos: OutUK and LightFieldStudios.