Nystatin ointment during pregnancy: pro and contra

Pregnancy is a very complex process in terms of all medical indicators. Sharp changes in the hormonal background can often provoke a considerable number of all sorts of problems, the most common of which is vaginal candidiasis. More commonly known as "thrush", it can manifest itself even in those women who previously did not suffer from them. Treatment of ailment during pregnancy is vital - after all, in addition to unpleasant sensations in the future mother, it can lead to the ingress of fungi to the mucous membranes of the fetus, which will lead to infection.

But not all drugs can be used while the child is waiting. One of the most popular among domestic obstetricians of medicines against fungal infections is nystatin ointment. It has been used successfully for the treatment of fungal diseases of the mucous membranes for many years, proving its effectiveness in combating fungi of the genus Candida.

But the question of whether nystatin ointment is allowed during pregnancy is still open. It would seem, which is easier - it is only necessary to carefully read the instructions to the drug, and all questions will disappear by themselves. However, in the case of this particular drug, not everything is so simple. This is one of the cases quite rare for the manufacturer's annotations, when there is no unambiguous answer to the question about the admissibility of the application.

Nystatin ointment, if you believe the contraindications specified in the instructions, is prohibited during pregnancy. But, on the other hand, the manufacturer indicates that it can be used, but with the proviso that the use of the drug is possible if the benefit brought to the mother's body will be greater than the potential harm for the unborn child.

Obviously, even the most experienced specialist will be able to determine this ratio, since each organism is individual, and how the nystatin ointment will work in this or that case is difficult to predict. Perhaps, it will not do any harm to the fetus, and the risk for its development will be minimal, but it is still impossible to guarantee this. And since the instructions for use give an unequivocal negative answer to the question of whether nystatin ointment can be used during pregnancy, it is obvious that the harm from it can still be very palpable.

Proponents of using the drug while waiting for the child often refer to the fact that nystatin ointment for children is used even in the treatment of infants and there are no catastrophic side effects. But it is obvious that such a position does not stand up to criticism - after all, the newborn's body, although weak, but already fully formed. While the fetus develops throughout the pregnancy and how the use of the drug affects these changes, it is sometimes difficult to foresee.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that the use of this tool in the period of waiting for the child is not an ideal solution. This especially applies to the first trimester of pregnancy, during which all the vital organs of the future little man are laid, and any, even minimal, medication in these processes can lead to irreversible consequences.

Modern pharmaceutics has significantly more advanced and, most importantly, safe drugs for treating thrush, than nystatin ointment. Therefore, if your gynecologist prescribes this medicine for you, try to suggest him to look for alternative ways of treatment. Do not be afraid to argue with a doctor in this case, because it's about your baby's health.