Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking hydrocortisone tablets

Hydrocortisone tablets can be taken in pregnancy.

Your doctor will only prescribe them if the benefits of the medicine outweigh the risks.

If you're taking hydrocortisone tablets for Addison's disease, it's important to carry on taking the medicine throughout pregnancy. Sometimes, your dose may need to increase and it's usual to receive higher doses of hydrocortisone by injection during childbirth.

If your doctor or midwife says your baby is healthy, you can take hydrocortisone tablets while you're breastfeeding.

Breast milk naturally contains hydrocortisone, but when you take hydrocortisone tablets, it's not known how much of it passes into breast milk. However, it's thought to be a small amount, and is unlikely to cause any side effects in your baby.

Your baby may need extra monitoring if you're taking a higher dose, or if you need to take it for a long time.

If you're taking hydrocortisone tablets for Addison's disease, it's important to carry on taking the medicine to keep you well. Breastfeeding will also benefit both you and your baby.

Talk to your health visitor, midwife, doctor or pharmacist or call 111 as soon as possible if you have any concerns about your baby. This includes if they:

• are not feeding as well as usual
• are not putting on weight as you would expect
• are being sick (vomiting) or having diarrhoea
• seem irritable or more tired than usual
• have skin reactions, such as rashes

There's no evidence that hydrocortisone tablets affect fertility in either men or women.

Tell your doctor if you're:

• trying to get pregnant
• pregnant
• breastfeeding