Aspirin in Pregnancy : Can It Harm You or Your Baby?

Aspirin is an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) that is commonly used to treat conditions like fever, headache, inflammation and small pains. Many women have the habit of reaching out for an aspirin when faced with nausea or a severe headache. Using aspirin in pregnancy to alleviate these common pregnancy symptoms can be very tempting although not recommended. Despite the many aspirin tablet uses in pregnancy, aspirin and other NSAIDs are not recommended during pregnancy unless prescribed by the doctor.

In this article, we will discuss what is aspirin, the different aspirin tablet uses in pregnancy and whether it is safe to take aspirin in pregnancy or not.

What Is Aspirin?

Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine that helps to reduce inflammation. When consumed in low doses, it can be used as an anticlotting agent and prevent heart attack and stroke. However, when consumed in higher doses, it can also cause side effects such as unwanted bleeding.

What Are the Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Aspirin?

In certain conditions, doctors may recommend the use of aspirin in pregnancy due to its benefits. In these situations, it is safe, in fact even required to take aspirin in pregnancy.

Prevents Hughes’ Syndrome

This is a condition in which you are more prone to developing blood clots which may result in a miscarriage. The doctor may recommend consuming aspirin in pregnancy in low doses along with heparin. This prevents clots from forming and drastically reduces the risk of a miscarriage.

Prevents Pre-eclampsia

In this condition, there is a problem with how your placenta works. It is more likely to occur if you suffer from chronic diseases like high blood pressure, severe diabetes, and kidney disease or have a history of pre-eclampsia. Another common use of aspirin in pregnancy is it helps to prevent pre-eclampsia.

Smaller, occasional doses of aspirin in pregnancy (75 to 300 mg; also known as baby aspirin) are not known to be harmful to your baby and do not get too worried if you’ve had an aspirin or two during your pregnancy. It is only in regular, adult doses that it’s really harmful.

Regular adult doses (up to 4gm) of aspirin in pregnancy have been linked to the following conditions during pregnancy:

Increases risk of placental disruption

Taking aspirin throughout pregnancy in regular adult doses can affect the growth of your child and may cause placental disruption. This is a condition in which part of the placenta separates from the uterus.

Increases risk to baby’s health

In the last trimester, regular use of aspirin can lead to premature closure of fetal ductus arteriosus (the blood vessel that passes blood to the baby’s lungs before birth). This may result in delayed childbirth, cause bleeding complications for you and your baby, and may even lead to lung and heart problems for your baby after birth.

Is it Safe to Take Aspirin While Pregnant?

Aspirin in pregnancy when consumed in low doses and recommended by the doctor to prevent certain conditions is safe. However, higher doses and frequent aspirin tablet uses in pregnancy carry certain risks, depending on your stage of pregnancy:

• Taking aspirin in the first trimester of pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage or the baby having medical problems at birth known as congenital defects.

• After 19 weeks of pregnancy, the use of aspirin in pregnancy can cause rare and serious kidney problems in the baby, which can lead to amniotic fluid.

• Besides other risks, the use of aspirin in pregnancy during the third trimester can increase the risk of a vessel in the baby’s heart closing too soon.

The use of aspirin in pregnancy in high doses for a long duration can also raise the risk of bleeding in the premature baby’s brain.

Key Takeaway

It’s better to avoid aspirin in pregnancy altogether unless explicitly recommended by your doctor. If you need to treat a fever, a severe headache or other pains during pregnancy, paracetamol is a safe alternative. Of course, you should check with your doctor before consuming it.