Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while using beclometasone inhalers

Beclometasone inhalers may be used during pregnancy.

Since it's taken into the lungs, very little of the medicine gets into your bloodstream and almost none gets to your baby. Even if a small amount does get to your baby, it will not harm them.

It's important to keep using your beclometasone inhaler in pregnancy to ensure that your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is well controlled. Having a lung condition and breathing difficulties is dangerous for you and your baby.

You may find that you need extra beclometasone during pregnancy. This is fine and it's safe to increase the dose if you need to.

If your asthma or COPD get worse during pregnancy then contact your doctor, midwife or specialist.

It's OK to use your beclometasone inhaler as normal while you're breastfeeding.

Although there is no information about using beclometasone inhalers while breastfeeding, only tiny amounts are likely to be in breast milk. It's very unlikely to cause any side effects in your baby.

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

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

Tell your doctor if you're:

• trying to get pregnant
• pregnant
• breastfeeding