This NHS content is written for people in England. Medicine names, availability, prescribing and services may differ in other countries.
Cetirizine and pregnancy
Cetirizine can be taken in pregnancy.
Although there's not a lot of information about its use in pregnancy, there's no suggestion that it will harm your baby.
Cetirizine and breastfeeding
If you need to take an antihistamine and you're breastfeeding, cetirizine is one of the best choices.
There is some information which shows that only very small amounts of cetirizine get into breast milk. For many years it has been widely used while breastfeeding without causing any side effects in babies.
It's very rare for breastfed babies to have side effects from medicines you're taking. But it's important to keep monitoring your baby if you're taking any medicine while breastfeeding.
Contact your healthcare professional or call 111 as soon as possible if your baby is not feeding as well as usual or seems unusually sleepy.
If your baby has any symptoms that are not listed, or if you're worried about them, you can also call 111 or contact any healthcare professional.
Keep breastfeeding as usual until you've got advice about your baby's symptoms.
View the original NHS website page ↗. Refreshed 19 August 2026.
Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 ↗. MyPHU is independent and is not endorsed by the NHS.