That way, if an unexpected pregnancy occurs, understanding the possible effects will help women to deal with the pregnancy. Some women may feel frustrated with the lack of definitive research on the effects of some medications in pregnant women. This issue was tackled by Anne Pastuszak, MSc, Director of the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Centre at the University of Toronto. But it's neither appropriate nor possible to answer ever health-related question. Indeed, testing medications in pregnant women raises medical and ethical issues.
Animal models can help researchers to evaluated the safety of medicines during pregnancy.
The real evidence is from humans, said Dr. Pastuszak, but studies must be designed carefully. Birth defects are common, so you must consider a specific abnormality. Furthermore, you have to look at what else women are exposed to during pregnancy. For example, herbal medicines, such as blue cohosh, can be more harmful to pregnant women than some drugs. Understanding the physical nature of pregnancy also is important when evaluating medicines.