Prevalence and maternal characteristics associated with receipt of prenatal care provider counseling about medications safe to take during pregnancy

Abstract Use of some medications during pregnancy can be harmful to the developing fetus, and discussion of the risks and benefits with prenatal care providers can provide guidance to pregnant women. We used Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data collected for 2015 births aggregated from 34 US states (n = 40,480 women) to estimate the prevalence of self-reported receipt of prenatal care provider counseling about medications safe to take during pregnancy. We examined associations between counseling and maternal characteristics using adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR). The prevalence of counseling on medications safe to take during pregnancy was 89.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88.7–89.7). Women who were nulliparous versus multiparous (aPR 1.03; 95% CI: 1.02–1.04), who used prescription medications before pregnancy versus those who did not, (aPR 1.03; 95% CI: 1.02–1.05), and who reported having asthma before pregnancy versus those who did not, (aPR 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01–1.08) were more likely to report receipt of counseling. There was no difference in counseling for women with pre-pregnancy diabetes, hypertension, and/or depression compared to those without. Women who entered prenatal care after the first trimester were less likely to report receipt of counseling (aPR 0.93; 95% CI: 0.91–0.96). Overall, self-reported receipt of counseling was high, with some differences by maternal characteristics. Although effect estimates were small, it is important to ensure that information is available to prenatal care providers about medication safety during pregnancy, and that messages are communicated to women who are or might become pregnant.