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Using Retin A While Pregnant. Should I Abort My Baby? Can Ultrasound Detect The Birth Defect Of The Baby?

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Posted on Sun, 1 Jul 2012
Question: hi, I have been using Retin A about 3 years already. I didn't know that Retin A shouldn't be used for a pregnant lady. Recently, I found out that I'm pregnant. I stopped from using Retin A when I was pregnant for 4-5 weeks. I quickly stop it when I read from website the Retin A cannot be used for pregnant lady. I told my OB about this matter and he asked me to consider to abort my baby. I'm here to seek for advise. Did doctor encounter any similar case before from your patients who used Retin A during pregnancy? If yes, how is the baby now? Is the baby healthy without having any birth defects? For your info, I'm now 10 weeks pregnant. Base on your profesional background, I would appreciate if you can provide me your opinions, about the implications that I will face for this pregnancy because of the Retin A. Should I keep the baby or should I abort? If I do the thorough ultrasound scan, would it be able to detect the birth defect of my baby? Thanks in advance.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Meenakshi Titoria Sahu (7 hours later)
Hi,
Thanks for the query.
Retin A is one of the risky drugs to be avoided in pregnancy. In my 12 years of practice, only once I encounter pregnant women who was taking retin. When risks of birth defects were discussed she opted for abortion. Retin A cause birth defects like small head, accumulation of fluid in brain, eye and ear defect, cleft palate and other facial defect, heart defect and mental retardation. One can use high resolution ultrasound to find these defects in baby but in case studies it has been seen that even babies born without birth defect suffered mental retardation and learning disability. This drug also increase the risk of premature birth and infant death. With all this in background my advise for you is to consider abortion as advised by your Obstetrician.

Best wishes
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Meenakshi Titoria Sahu (10 hours later)
Doctor,

May I know the pregnant women who took retin A is the oral or topical cream? Mine is topical cream. Even topical cream also will cause birth defects like what you have mentioned?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Meenakshi Titoria Sahu (1 hour later)
Hi,

She was using topical cream. Oral medicine cause more harm than topical one. In studies it has been seen that topical medicine (retin- A) is absorbed via blood stream and may cause problem to fetus/ baby (as mentioned earlier).

Regards
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E
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Answered by
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Dr. Meenakshi Titoria Sahu

OBGYN

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 158 Questions

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Using Retin A While Pregnant. Should I Abort My Baby? Can Ultrasound Detect The Birth Defect Of The Baby?

Hi,
Thanks for the query.
Retin A is one of the risky drugs to be avoided in pregnancy. In my 12 years of practice, only once I encounter pregnant women who was taking retin. When risks of birth defects were discussed she opted for abortion. Retin A cause birth defects like small head, accumulation of fluid in brain, eye and ear defect, cleft palate and other facial defect, heart defect and mental retardation. One can use high resolution ultrasound to find these defects in baby but in case studies it has been seen that even babies born without birth defect suffered mental retardation and learning disability. This drug also increase the risk of premature birth and infant death. With all this in background my advise for you is to consider abortion as advised by your Obstetrician.

Best wishes