Can amoxicillin cause cleft lip?
Maternal use of amoxicillin was associated with an increased risk of cleft lip with/without cleft palate (adjusted OR = 2.0 [95% confidence interval = 1.0-4.1]), with an OR of 4.3 (1.4-13.0) for third-gestational-month use. Risks were not elevated for use of other penicillins or cephalosporins.
Antibiotics. Some antibiotics are considered generally safe for pregnant women, while others increase the risk of birth defects. The safe ones include amoxicillin, ampicillin, clindamycin, erythromycin, and penicillin. However, the risky antibiotics may cause cleft lip, skull malformations, and heart defects.
Large studies of women using amoxicillin or penicillin V in early pregnancy do not suggest an increased chance of birth defects in their babies. Studies investigating co-amoxiclav have produced reassuring findings, but were based on fewer women.
Some drugs may cause cleft lip and cleft palate. Among them: anti-seizure/anticonvulsant drugs, acne drugs containing Accutane, and methotrexate, a drug commonly used for treating cancer, arthritis, and psoriasis.
Amoxicillin is safe to take during pregnancy
Amoxicillin is considered a pregnancy category B drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That means it's considered safe to take while pregnant.
Here's a sampling of antibiotics generally considered safe during pregnancy: Penicillins, including amoxicillin (Amoxil, Larotid) and ampicillin. Cephalosporins, including cefaclor and cephalexin (Keflex)
Cleft lip and cleft palate are thought to be caused by a combination of genes and other factors, such as things the mother comes in contact with in her environment, or what the mother eats or drinks, or certain medications she uses during pregnancy.
- Consider genetic counseling. If you have a family history of cleft lip and cleft palate, tell your doctor before you become pregnant. ...
- Take prenatal vitamins. If you're planning to get pregnant soon, ask your doctor if you should take prenatal vitamins.
- Don't use tobacco or alcohol.
Use of erythromycin during the first trimester was linked to a 27 per 1,000 rate of major malformations, versus 18 per 1,000 with penicillin. Macrolide use during any trimester was also linked to a genital malformations rate of 5 per 1,000 versus 3 per 1,000 with penicillin.
"Since amoxicillin does transfer from the mother's bloodstream to the placenta, it is important to recognize the potential risks associated with the use of amoxicillin in pregnancy," says Dr. Johnson-Arbor.
Can antibiotics in pregnancy cause autism?
This population-based cohort study found that antibiotic exposure during labor and delivery was not significantly associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder. Findings provide reassurance that this common obstetrical practice does not increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder.
“Antibiotics are generally safe for mom and baby,” Dr. Baldwin said. “There are certain antibiotics that aren't given during pregnancy due to risks of birth defects, so it's always best to check with your provider whether certain ones are safe to use before taking anything.”

Cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, happens in about one baby out of every 1,300 (0.08%). It is the most common facial birth condition in the UK.
If you take topiramate during pregnancy, there is a higher risk that your baby will develop a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. Oral clefts happen early in pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant.
Van der Woude syndrome is the most common genetic syndrome associated with cleft lip and palate, and is diagnosed in about 1 to 2 percent of children born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate. No differences in the incidence among races or gender have been described.
In pregnant and lactating women, the FDA recommends 1000 mg amoxicillin every eight hours.
Some antibiotics are known to be teratogenic and should be avoided entirely during pregnancy. These include streptomycin and kanamycin (which may cause hearing loss) and tetracycline (which can lead to weakening, hypoplasia, and discoloration of long bones and teeth).
Amoxicillin is assigned to pregnancy category B (animal reproduction studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women) by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The most common amoxicillin side effects are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These usually go away after you finish taking the medication. Contact your healthcare provider right away if you experience any serious side effects, such as severe diarrhea or signs of an allergic reaction.
The results suggest that physical and/or emotional stress may well be implicated in clefting.
Can stress cause cleft palate during pregnancy?
Several observational studies have examined the association of maternal stressful life events with risks of orofacial clefts among offspring. All but 2 of these studies5,9 reported increased risk of clefts among offspring born to women with higher stress.
Cleft lips and cleft palates happen when tissues of the upper lip and roof of the mouth don't join together properly during fetal development. Surgery is required to repair cleft lip and cleft palate.
Causes of cleft lip and cleft palate
A cleft lip or cleft palate (or both) is not caused by anything the parents did or did not do during the pregnancy. Even the healthiest, well-planned pregnancies can result in a cleft, and this is no one's fault.
Cleft lip and cleft palate happen very early in pregnancy. Your baby's lips form between 4 and 7 weeks of pregnancy, and the palate forms between 6 and 9 weeks of pregnancy. Oral clefts don't have to happen together—a baby can have one without the other.
Researchers examined the association between clefts and mother's folic acid supplement intake. They found that when mothers took a supplement of 0.4 mg of folic acid or more, the risk of an isolated cleft lip and palate was reduced by about one-third.
Treating babies with antibiotics in the first week of life is linked with a decrease in a number of healthy bacteria necessary to digest milk and an increase in antimicrobial resistance, research suggests.
Most people have been infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), but do not have symptoms. If a pregnant woman is infected with CMV, she can pass it to her developing baby. This is called congenital CMV, and it can cause birth defects and other health problems.
Antibiotics which show incomplete transfer to the placenta where concentrations are lower in the cord than maternal plasma are said to have "incomplete" transfer and these include azlocillin, dicloxacillin, piperacillin, sulbenicillin, cefoxitin, amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, fosfomycin, thiamphenicol, ...
These data suggest that exposure to amoxycillin/clavulanic acid during pregnancy is unlikely to be associated with an increased risk of malformations.
Yes! It is safe to use paracetamol at the same time as taking most antibiotics. Taking antibiotics at the same time as paracetamol shouldn't cause any problems.
Which trimester is the most critical for the development of the baby?
First Trimester (0 to 13 Weeks)
The first trimester is the most crucial to your baby's development. During this period, your baby's body structure and organ systems develop. Most miscarriages and birth defects occur during this period. Your body also undergoes major changes during the first trimester.
Advanced parental age at time of conception. Prenatal exposure to air pollution or certain pesticides. Maternal obesity, diabetes, or immune system disorders. Extreme prematurity or very low birth weight.
Generally, when a woman does not take antibiotics during pregnancy, her risk of a miscarriage is approximately 6% to 7%. In the study, women who took certain antibiotics in early pregnancy had an increased risk of 9% to 10%.
51.1% said that pregnant women cannot use antibiotic, the most reported side effect of using antibiotic during pregnancy was fetal abnormalities 59.7%, followed by diarrhea 41.8%, and then killing useful bacteria and refusing treatment 33.6% and 20.9%, respectively.
Sometimes a cleft lip is not picked up at any scans before birth and can be a big surprise to parents. This is especially likely to happen (30% of cases) if the baby has a cleft lip without a cleft palate.
Cleft lip and/or palate have the highest rates at birth in Asian (especially in China and Japan),3 and China is one of the regions with high incidence of about 1.663/1000.
Cleft lip may be detected with ultrasound beginning around the 13th week of pregnancy. As the fetus continues developing, it may be easier to accurately diagnose a cleft lip. Cleft palate that occurs alone is more difficult to see using ultrasound.
Over one-third of mothers did not take folic acid in early pregnancy in this large nationally representative cohort study. The OR for cleft lip palate for infants of such mothers was 4.36-fold higher than for mothers who had taken folic acid in early pregnancy.
But they found that infants born with cleft palate alone had a slightly increased risk of dying early and of having conditions such as intellectual disability, autism and severe learning disabilities.
Cleft lip and palate is a common birth defect. It occurs together in 1 of every 1,000 babies, somewhat more in males than females. About 20% have the cleft lip only, 30% have cleft palate only, and 50% of children with a cleft lip will also have a cleft palate.
Does a cleft lip affect the brain?
Cognitive deficits in syndromic clefting are frequent and often severe (mental retardation). The cognitive deficits associated with isolated clefts of the lip and/or palate (ICLP) are less severe, but the functional consequences of these deficits should not be underestimated.
There is no single cause of cleft lip and/or palate. Research tells us it's often caused by a combination of different genetic and environmental factors, but because of the huge number of factors involved it can be very difficult to narrow these down.
Use of certain medicines―Women who used certain medicines to treat epilepsy, such as topiramate or valproic acid, during the first trimester (the first 3 months) of pregnancy have an increased risk of having a baby with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, compared to women who didn't take these medicines.
(Reuters Health) - Pregnant women have another reason to avoid taking a class of antibiotics that includes erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin: it may increase their baby's risk of birth defects, a UK study suggests.
Less common side effects include: allergic reactions like itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue. breathing problems. blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth.
6 Alcohol and tobacco
Exposure to risk factors in pregnancy such as alcohol may induce cleft lip and palate.
Cleft lips and cleft palates happen when tissues of the upper lip and roof of the mouth don't join together properly during fetal development. Surgery is required to repair cleft lip and cleft palate.
Around 1 in 15 people have an allergic reaction to amoxicillin. In most cases, the allergic reaction is mild and can take the form of a skin rash. Mild skin rashes can usually be treated by taking antihistamines. In rare cases, amoxicillin can cause a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
The most common amoxicillin side effects are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These usually go away after you finish taking the medication. Contact your healthcare provider right away if you experience any serious side effects, such as severe diarrhea or signs of an allergic reaction.
Dosage: A person may take antibiotics for a long time for severe or continued infections, such as osteomyelitis. Doing so puts them at higher risk of long-term complications , including crystalluria (cloudy urine), hemolytic anemia, and nephritis.