Rogaine and Pregnancy

Can Pregnant Women Use Rogaine?

Rogaine^® (minoxidil) is an over-the-counter (OTC) medication used in the treatment of hair loss. It works to stimulate hair growth in people who have androgenetic alopecia, more commonly referred to as male or female pattern hair loss. At this time, it is unknown if Rogaine is safe for use in pregnant women.

 

What Is Pregnancy Category C?

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been adequately studied in pregnant humans but do appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies.

 

In addition, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a pregnancy Category C rating.

 

In general, there is very little information available about using this medication during pregnancy. When minoxidil, the active ingredient in Rogaine, was given orally to pregnant rabbits, it caused miscarriages and reduced litter size. It did not, however, appear to cause any birth defects when given to pregnant rats or rabbits.

 

Rogaine is a topical formulation of minoxidil, which means that it is applied directly to the skin. When used as directed, very little of the medication is actually absorbed into the bloodstream, where it could pass to a developing infant. There is a chance, however, that some pregnant women could absorb more Rogaine than normal, such as if the medication is applied to an irritated, inflamed, or infected scalp.

 

It is important to note that animals do not always respond to medicines in the same way that humans do. Therefore, a pregnancy Category C medicine may be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh any possible risks to her unborn child. However, it seems unlikely that there would be any substantial benefit to using this drug during pregnancy.