University Health System Blog

Dr. Paul Stumpf answers the question: “Is it possible to freeze a woman’s eggs for future pregnancies?” (Note: Bruce Shapiro, M.D. and Said Daneshmand, M.D. of The Fertility Center of Las Vegas, contributed to this answer. Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Daneshmand are volunteer faculty at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.)

The answer is an unequivocal yes! The ability to successfully freeze and thaw oocytes, or eggs, is a technology that has greatly improved over the last ten years. Refinements over just the past five years have transformed the process into a routine procedure at fertility centers with proven freezing techniques. The Fertility Center of Las Vegas has been freezing oocytes for the past five years with excellent success.

The ability to freeze eggs is particularly important for women who anticipate loss of ovarian function due to advancing age, disease or disease treatment. These women may have a window of opportunity to save their eggs for future use. Such women include those who must have their ovaries removed or are to be treated with radiation or chemotherapy for cancer prior to having a family. Women who, for personal reasons, plan to conceive later in life have the opportunity to preserve their eggs before the age-related decline in ovarian function.

Egg freezing is an effective option for preserving fertility in women, just as sperm freezing has been an effective option for men.

Paul Stumpf, M.D. heads the obstetrics and gynecology department at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas. Dr. Stumpf is a board-certified obstetrician, gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist.

Have a question? University Health System doctors answer select questions from readers like you.

Dr. Paul Stumpf answers the question: “Are there general warnings on over the counter drugs for pregnant women?”

Pregnant women should not take any medication, including over the counter drugs and herbal supplements, without first checking with their obstetrician or health care provider. As an obstetrician I advise expectant moms on the possible risks of taking certain common over the counter drugs. When it comes to these medications, some are safer than others. There’s a lot of info out there and knowing what’s safe for you and your unborn child can be confusing. All medicine, from the common aspirin to prescription drugs, will affect your body.

Warnings

Again, its highly advisable to consult with your obstetrician before taking any type of drug. Here are some warnings on some common over the counter medicine you may not know:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Aleve) can cause serious blood flow problems in unborn children if used during the last third of pregnancy (after 28 weeks).
• Aspirin may increase the chance for bleeding problems in the mother and baby during pregnancy or delivery;
• Nicotine therapy drugs, like nicotine patches and lozenges, are thought to be safer than smoking, but risks are not fully known;
• Sudafed for allergy relief may not be recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy;
• Antibiotics like tetracycline and ciprofloxacin should be avoided if possible, particularly in the early stages of pregnancy;
• Isotretinoin (Accutane, Sotret, Claravis, Amnesteem), used to treat acne, can cause miscarriage or birth defects;
• Certain high blood pressure medications can cause kidney problems in the fetus;
• Some herbal remedies, like blue cohosh in particular, may be harmful;
• Common nutritional supplements like multivitamins may be harmful, as high levels of Vitamin A has been shown to cause severe birth defects if taken in large doses

If your doctor prescribed medicine for you before you got pregnant, should you continue taking them? You definitely need to discuss this with your doctor as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed. Some medications may be critically important to your health while others can be eliminated, changed or the dosage lowered to reduce any potential risk to your baby.

Guidelines

Certain remedies are usually safe for pregnant women, but of course, you should double check with your obstetrician. These include:

• Tylenol for headaches, muscle aches or mild pain pregnant, with two regular strength tablets every six hours until symptoms subside;
• Nasal sprays work well for some allergies, with two squirts in each nostril every six hours. Benadryl can be an alternative to Sudafed but use with caution as it may make you drowsy;
• Antacids like Tums, Rolaids, Maalox or Mylanta can usually be used as directed as some pregnant women experience heartburn or indigestion

How Medications are Tested

With so many medications on the market and more added each day, it’s more difficult for doctors and nurses to keep track of which drugs can be used during pregnancy. In addition to textbooks and research journals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays an important safety role. The FDA requires pharmaceutical companies to show that a specific medicine works for a certain problem and that it’s generally safe. Pharmaceutical companies must check whether birth defects or other problems occur in baby animals when the drug is given to pregnant test animals. If it causes problems, it may mean it can cause problems in human babies. Although the FDA requires these experiments and other criteria to be satisfied, drug testing and its affects is not an exact science. There’s a lot that researchers and doctors just don’t know about some medications used during pregnancy.

What are Pregnancy Exposure Registries?

Drugs are rarely tested for safety in pregnant women. However a pregnancy exposure registry can help doctors and researchers learn how medications affect pregnant mothers and their babies. A pregnancy exposure registry is a study that enrolls pregnant women who are using a certain medicine. Women sign up for the study while pregnant and their progress is followed for a length of time after the baby is born. Researchers compare the babies of mothers who used the medicine while pregnant to the babies of mothers who didn’t use the medicine. This type of study compares large groups of pregnant mothers and babies to look for possible effects. Obstetricians and their patients can use registry results to make more informed choices about using certain drugs. If you’re pregnant and using a medicine or you were using one when you got pregnant, check if there’s a pregnancy exposure registry for that medicine. The FDA has a list of pregnancy exposure registries that pregnant women can join. You can also find out more about pregnancy and medicine from the National Women’s Health Information Center at 800-994-9662.

Conclusion

My advice, and I can’t stress this enough, is to let your doctor or obstetrician know about any and all medications and drugs you’re taking while pregnant. Better yet, bring the bottles with you to your pre-pregnancy checkup. If you’re not pregnant yet but you’re planning to have a baby, it’s a great idea to discuss your health and your medications with your doctor before you conceive. That way both you and your baby will have the best chance of a smooth pregnancy, a happy birth and healthy life.

Paul Stumpf, M.D. heads the ob/gyn department at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. Dr. Stumpf is board certified in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive endocrinology.

Have a question? University Health System doctors answer select questions from readers like you.