Teratogenic Risk of Statins in Pregnancy

Objective:To evaluate the teratogenic potential of statins in women of child-bearing age.Data Sources:A PubMed search (1980-September 2012) was performed using the search terms statin and pregnancy, then repealed using statin and teratogenicity. Results were limited to articles published in English reporting on use of statins in humans.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All articles presenting data on pregnancy outcomes after statin use during any trimester of pregnancy were included. Three case reports, 2 case series, 2 systematic reviews, 2 registry-based studies, and 1 prospective observational cohort study were reviewed.Data Synthesis:Since initial premarketing studies of lovastatin in animals, terato-genesis has been assumed to be a classwide function of statins' mechanism of action. Data from human exposure during pregnancy have been gathered and analyzed in a variety of study formats to formulate useable conclusions on statins' actual teratogenic risk and pattern of associated birth defects. Altho...