Is deworming during pregnancy harmful to the fetus?
"I am over 5 months pregnant and have worms. The doctor prescribed deworming medicine but I am afraid to take it because I am afraid it will harm the fetus. Please give me some advice."
Reply:You are right to be afraid of taking any medication during pregnancy. However, it is a pity that you did not immediately ask the doctor who prescribed you to consult whether the medication is safe to use. You also did not provide the name of the medication prescribed so that we could answer you accurately. However, I would like to give you some general comments as follows:
When a woman is pregnant, thedewormingis not advisable. Doctors often advise people to deworm periodically every 6 months or once a year; for women, it is best when they are definitely not pregnant. However, many women are pregnant and then discover that they have worms at a level that requires treatment because otherwise it will be harmful to both mother and child. In that case, givingpregnant womentaking deworming medicine is necessary.
There are many types of deworming drugs that are very effective in killing worms, do not cause fatigue and are not complicated to use. The most common are drugs in the albendazole group (with the brand names Zentel, Ten-400) and the mebendazole group (with the brand names Mebendazole, Benda 500, Fugacar). Both groups are recommended not to be used during pregnancy, especially in the first 3 months (for fear of causing deformities).
The pyrantel group of drugs (with the brand names Helmintox, Combantrin) is considered quite safe for pregnant women infected with worms that need to be dewormed. Combantrin is a drug to deworm pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms with an average dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight, taken in a single dose. If infected with only one type of roundworm, use a dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight.
In the case of a woman who is nearly 6 months pregnant, combatrin can be used as mentioned above without any worries.
According to Health & Life - NT
