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Statins and Pregnancy

The United States Food and Drug Administration have classified cholesterol-lowering drugs, or statins, as pregnancy category X, which means these drugs are not supposed to be taken by pregnant women. Recently, some birth defects specialists are concerned about the possibility of cholesterol-lowering drugs becoming available over-the-counter to a wide range of women of child bearing age. According to researchers with the March of Dimes, there is a hypothesized link between the use of statins during pregnancy and a set of birth defects. Although it is extremely unlikely that a doctor would prescribe a statin to a pregnant patient, a woman might unknowingly become pregnant while taking a statin.