Pain medication during pregnancy

: To treat pain that does not respond to non-pharmacological approaches in a pregnant woman represents a challenge for the primary care physician. He is often the first health professional to be consulted and finds himself confronted to not only one but two patients:the mother and the fetus. His knowledge on pain treatment and the practical approach that he is used to, will have to be adapted to this new equation. He will have to weigh the benefit for the mother against the risk for the fetus, while creating a true relationship with his patient. Although only a few drugs are considered compatible with pregnancy, the data available from the literature allow nowadays to better understand the nature of the risk when exposing the fetus to a given drug and to elaborate evidence-based recommendations.