Pregnancy And Breastfeeding

It is not advised to take doxycycline when pregnant. It may have an impact on your baby's bone and dental growth. If you want to use a different antibiotic, talk to your doctor. The FDA classifies doxycycline as a class D medicine during pregnancy. The drug doxycycline enters breast milk. Other tetracycline antibiotics should not be used during pregnancy or in children under the age of eight due to the risk of affecting bone and teeth development. They have a class warning concerning teeth discoloration and reduced dental enamel growth in kids exposed to tetracyclines during pregnancy, nursing, or early childhood. The FDA has stated that it is unclear if doxycycline specifically carries a risk of dental discoloration of primary teeth.

If your doctor or health visitor certifies that your infant is healthy, you may take doxycycline while nursing for a brief period of time (less than three weeks). Doxycycline only enters breast milk in very minute quantities. However, the calcium in your milk adheres to the doxycycline, making it difficult for the infant to absorb much of it. Doxycycline is unlikely to harm your infant when used for a brief period of time. There is a slight possibility that prolonged use may have an impact on bone and tooth formation. The only time this has occurred is when babies have received doxycycline directly. When babies receive doxycycline through breast milk, it has never happened.