Ventolin Inhalers for Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women

If you are pregnant and require a Ventolin inhaler then any potential side effects of its use on your pregnanacy are likely to be of concern to you. This article seeks to highlight the issues that can be involved when using the Ventolin inhaler throughout your pregnancy.

Is using a Ventolin inhaler during pregnancy safe?

If you have been prescribed a Ventolin inhaler by your doctor and become pregnant you should inform them of your situation. They will then be able to consider whether or not it is prudent for you to continue using your Ventolin inhaler. In most cases it is usually recommended that you continue to use it as normal as the chances of it harming you or your child are considered to be low.


The potential for harm to yourself is also unlikely to change, if you do start experiencing a change in side effects from your Ventolin inhaler then you should contact your health care provider. If using the Ventolin inhaler for asthma treatment then you should also know that asthma can sometimes worsen during the third trimester of pregnancy. This could be another potential personal health based change to watch out for. 

What are the potential risks to my pregnancy if I use my Ventolin inhaler?

The US drug and food administration has classified the Ventolin inhaler as potentially harmful to a foetus. This is based on animal studies in which the use of Ventolin was shown to be damaging to the animal foetus. This effect has not however been shown in humans. It is also worth noting that drug effects are usually different in animals from when they are used in humans.

These risks must be balanced against the risks to your foetus if you stop using Ventolin. Lack of oxygen to the foetus due to an unregulated asthma attack can be severely damaging to it. It is for this reason that it is often recommended that you continue using your Ventolin inhaler throughout your pregnancy, although doses may be varied.

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