Oral antifungal to treat a vaginal yeast infection increases the risk of miscarriage: study

Toronto: The use of a common medication to treat badl yeast infections during pregnancy could be badociated with an increased risk of miscarriage, the researchers warned. While topical treatments are used first-line in pregnant women with fungal infections, fluconazole, an oral medication, is also used during pregnancy. The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that pregnant women taking an oral version of fluconazole were more likely to have a miscarriage than those who did not take it.

"Our study shows that taking oral fluconazole during pregnancy may be badociated with higher risks of miscarriage," said Anick Berard of the University of Montreal, Canada.

Higher doses of oral fluconazole (over 150 mg) in early pregnancy may also be badociated with higher chances of giving birth to a baby with a heart defect, she added.

The study again emphasizes safe practices during pregnancy, which include proper diagnosis and the safest drug choice with the largest amount of data. For this study, researchers studied data on 441,949 pregnancies. During pregnancy, women often have thrush – a yeast infection caused by the Candida fungus, usually Candida albicans – due to changes in the body, especially during the third trimester.

Thrush during pregnancy may be treated with a cream or tablet inserted into the bad (a pessary) containing clotrimazole or a similar antifungal. Although thrush may also be treated with fluconazole, it should not be taken during pregnancy, or even during a pregnancy or badfeeding, according to the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom .