Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Aug;43(3):489-502.
doi: 10.1016/j.rdc.2017.04.013.

A Review of Systemic Corticosteroid Use in Pregnancy and the Risk of Select Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes

Gretchen Bandoli  1 , Kristin Palmsten  2 , Chelsey J Forbess Smith  3 , Christina D Chambers  2
Affiliations
Review

A Review of Systemic Corticosteroid Use in Pregnancy and the Risk of Select Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes

Gretchen Bandoli et al. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2017 Aug.

Abstract

The evidence to date regarding corticosteroid exposure in pregnancy and select pregnancy and birth outcomes is limited and inconsistent. The authors provide a narrative review of published literature summarizing the findings for oral clefts, preterm birth, birth weight, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Whenever possible, the results are limited to oral or systemic administration with a further focus on use in autoimmune disease. Although previous studies of corticosteroid exposure in pregnancy reported an increased risk of oral clefts in the offspring, more recent studies have not replicated these findings.

Keywords: Adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes; Corticosteroids; Pregnancy; Review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: the authors report no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. McGee DC. Steroid use during pregnancy. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 2002;16(2):26–39. - PubMed
    1. Ostensen M, Forger F. Management of RA medications in pregnant patients. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2009;5(7):382–390. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2009.103. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van Runnard Heimel PJ, Franx A, Schobben AF, Huisjes AJ, Derks JB, Bruinse HW. Corticosteroids, pregnancy, and HELLP syndrome: a review. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2005;60(1):57–70. doi: 10.1097/01.ogx.0000150346.42901.07. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mitchell K, Kaul M, Clowse M. The management of rheumatic diseases in pregnancy. Scand Jouranl Rheumatol. 2010 Mar;39(2):99–108. doi: 10.3109/03009740903449313. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fowden AL, Forhead a J, Coan PM, Burton GJ. The placenta and intrauterine programming. J Neuroendocrinol. 2008;20(4):439–450. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2008.01663.x. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Substances