Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking beclometasone tablets - Brand name: Clipper

Beclometasone tablets and pregnancy

Steroids are commonly used during pregnancy and most doctors will recommend continuing to take them.

Beclometasone is OK to take in pregnancy, but talk to your doctor or specialist. They may want to switch you to a different type of steroid that does not cross the placenta as easily as beclometasone, such as prednisolone.

Do not stop taking beclometasone before you've spoken to your doctor.

Beclometasone and other steroids can sometimes affect your baby's growth. You may need extra scans to check that your baby is growing OK.

Inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis are not good for either you or your baby. If not well treated, they can cause problems such as poor growth and premature birth and make you unwell. For this reason, it's recommended that you continue to take beclometasone (or another type of steroid tablet) if your doctor or specialist says that it's OK.

Beclometasone tablets and breastfeeding

If your doctor or health visitor says that your baby is healthy, it's OK to take beclometasone tablets while you're breastfeeding.

It is not known how much beclometasone gets into breast milk, but it's likely to be a very small amount. It is unlikely to cause side effects in your baby. However, your baby may need extra monitoring if you're taking very high doses or if you're taking it for a long time.

If you notice that your baby is not feeding as well as usual, is not putting on weight as you would expect, or if you have any other concerns about your baby, talk to your health visitor, midwife or doctor as soon as possible.

Beclometasone tablets and fertility

There's no evidence to suggest that taking beclometasone tablets reduces fertility in either men or women.

For more information about how steroid tablets can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, visit the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy (BUMPS) website.