Few clinical trials studied the risks and benefits of medication use during pregnancy and lactation before market approval. In addition, the advices and warnings of health regulatory agencies concerning the risk of medication use during pregnancy may have an impact on the risk perception of mothers and their prescribers.

IMAGe center, based at CHU Sainte-Justine, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is a teratology information service (TIS) who counsels province of Quebec healthcare professionals about risks and benefits of medication exposure during pregnancy and lactation. This study was conducted using data from the IMAGe Center database. The first phase of this research project was to determine the most frequently medication classes requested at IMAGe, their indications of use, as well as predictors of calls during pregnancy and lactation, according to medication class. To be included, calls had to be received between 2004 and 2007, and had to concern a woman exposed during pregnancy or lactation. The second phase of the research project was to determine the impact of different advices and warnings of Health Canada on the number of calls received at IMAGe.

Funding source
Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI).