Pregnancy Breastfeeding And Fertility While Taking Azithromycin

Azithromycin and pregnancy

Azithromycin is OK to take during pregnancy if you have an infection that needs treatment. However, other antibiotics may be more suitable for you, depending on your type of infection.

Talk to your doctor about taking azithromycin as it should only be used if the benefits outweigh the possible risks.

Find out more about how taking azithromycin can affect you and your baby on the Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) website.

Azithromycin and breastfeeding

If your baby is healthy, it may be OK to take azithromycin while breastfeeding. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist first.

Azithromycin passes into breast milk in small amounts and is unlikely to cause any side effects in breastfed babies.

If you have an infection, or are at risk of infections coming back, it's important that this is treated.

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.

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 putting on weight as expected
has an upset stomach, such as diarrhoea or being sick (vomiting)
has a rash
has oral thrush (a fungal infection in their mouth)
seems unusually sleepy or irritable

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.

Azithromycin and fertility

There's no good evidence that azithromycin affects fertility in either men or women.

Tell your doctor if you're:

trying to get pregnant
pregnant
breastfeeding

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