The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning, recommending that doctors do not prescribe an oral yeast infection drug to pregnant women, or those actively trying to become pregnant, because the drug may increase risk of miscarriage.
The warning came after the release of results of a Danish study that linked oral fluconazole (Diflucan), which treats yeast infections, to miscarriage. Currently, the FDA is urging caution until the agency can properly review the study results.
Oral fluconazole is used to treat yeast infections of the vaginal area, mouth and esophagus. It’s also used to treat a fungal infection of the brain and spinal cord called cryptococcal meningitis, which usually affects people with weakened immune systems.
The FDA drug label for oral fluconazole indicates that data available from studies does not suggest an increased risk of pregnancy complications or developmental abnormalities when women are exposed to a single, 150-mg dose of oral fluconazole. Yet, high doses of the drug (400 to 800 mg/day) taken by pregnant women for a longer period of time have resulted in birth abnormalities, according to the FDA safety alert.
The Danish study results were based on one or two doses of 150 mg.
