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  • Pregnant women must take care with even the most common over-the-counter pain medications because these drugs cross the placenta and enter babies' bloodstreams, sometimes with adverse effects.

    Safest Option

    Acetaminophen is the over-the-counter pain medication most often recommended for pregnant women, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. It is safe for all trimesters of pregnancy.

    Safety Categories

    Acetaminophen is a category B drug, a level assigned by the Food and Drug Administration to indicate the drug's safety. This categorization means one of two things: Animal studies have shown no fetal risk, but there have been no controlled studies in pregnant women; or animal studies demonstrate an adverse effect that was not confirmed in controlled studies in women during the first trimester.

    Sometimes Safe

    Ibuprofen and naproxen are generally safe to take until the third trimester. If taken during the third trimester, they can interfere with labor, according to DisneyFamily.com's Parentpedia.

    Not Safe

    Pregnant women should never take aspirin, especially during the third trimester. According to Dr. Roger W. Harms of the Mayo Clinic, aspirin taken after 32 weeks can be potentially fatal for the fetus.

    Exceptions

    Doctors sometimes prescribe low doses of aspirin in early pregnancy to help prevent miscarriage, says Harms.

    Source:

    American Academy of Family Physicians: Use of OTC Pain Medications in Pregnancy

    Parentpedia: Pain Medicine

    MayoClinic.com: Aspirin During Pregnancy: Is it safe?

    Resource:

    American Pregnancy Association: Pregnancy and Headaches

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