The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into the results of a Danish study which concludes that using oral fluconazole (Diflucan) may increase the risk for miscarriage, according to an announcement on its website. In the meantime, the FDA advised caution in the prescription of oral fluconazole during pregnancy.
According to the FDA, oral fluconazole is used to cure yeast infections of the vaginal area, mouth and esophagus and also to cure cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal infection of the brain and spinal cord. It is also a drug used to prevent yeast infections from further spreading in the body of cancer patients.
The Danish Study On Fluconazole And Miscarriage
A study spanning 17 years had looked into more than one million pregnancies in Denmark and compared women who used oral fluconazole and those who did not, Reuters reported in January. Women who used oral fluconazole during the first six months of their pregnancy were almost 50 percent more likely to have a miscarriage compared to those who did not use the drug.
Women who were taking a 150mg dose of oral fluconazole were said to face an increased risk of miscarriage while those who took higher doses faced greater risks of miscarriage. MedPage Today reported that the present FDA labeling for oral fluconazole "does not address extended use."
The label only indicates that one 150mg dose of oral fluconazole during pregnancy as a cure for vaginal yeast infection poses no risk of abnormalities at birth or other problems during pregnancy.
FDA Probes Fluconazole Risks in Pregnancy - "Cautious prescribing" urged until safety review is complete https://t.co/W398cQWhdA
— Pregnancy Ball (@pregnancyball) April 27, 2016
What Is A Miscarriage?
Miscarriage refers to a pregnancy that ends on its own within the first 20 weeks of gestation, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Previous studies have shown that 10-25 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriages.
Meanwhile, 50-75 percent of all miscarriages may be explained by chemical pregnancies. In chemical pregnancies, the pregnancy is lost shortly after implantation.
As a consequence, the pregnant woman bleeds around the time when she expects her miscarriage. The woman may actually discover her pregnancy only when she goes through a chemical pregnancy.
