Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking mesalazine

If you’re already taking mesalazine, you can continue to take it during pregnancy. It’s important to make sure that your inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is well controlled. There's no evidence that taking mesalazine in pregnancy harms your baby.

If you become pregnant while taking mesalazine, speak to your doctor. Do not stop taking your medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

Your doctor can explain the risks and benefits of taking mesalazine and will help you choose the best treatment for you and your baby.

If your baby is healthy, then it's usually OK to take or use mesalazine while breastfeeding, but talk to your doctor first.

The small amounts of mesalazine that pass into breast milk should not cause any side effects in your baby. Many people have taken mesalazine while breastfeeding without any problems, although there have been some rare cases of diarrhoea in babies.

It's very rare for breastfed babies to have side effects from medicines you're taking. But it's important to keep monitoring your baby if you're taking any medicine while breastfeeding

Contact your healthcare professional or call 111 as soon as possible if you notice your baby is:

• not feeding as well as usual
• has diarrhoea
• is being sick (vomiting)
• has a rash
• is being irritable

If your baby has any symptoms that are not listed, or if you're worried about them, you can also call 111 or contact any healthcare professional.

Carry on taking the medicine, and keep breastfeeding as usual until you've got advice about your baby's symptoms