ABSTRACT
Nausea and vomiting are very common during pregnancy, mainly throughout the first
trimester. Metoclopramide is a dopamine receptor blocking drug that is commonly used
to treat nausea and vomiting. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate
the effect on the fetus of intrauterine exposure to metoclopramide. One hundred and
seventy-five women who received metoclopramide and consulted 6 teratogen information
centers in Israel, Italy, Brazil, and Canada were studied. Women exposed to metoclopramide
were paired for age, smoking and alcohol consumption habits with women exposed to
nonteratogens. Women in the metoclopramide group had a significantly higher rate of
premature births (8.1%) as compared with the control group (2.4%) (p = 0.02, relative risk = 3.37, 95% confidence interval 1.12-10.12). Rates of major
malformations in the metoclopramide group (4.4%) did not differ from controls (4.8%)
(p = 0.84, relative risk = 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.34-2.45). According to our
findings, metoclopramide use during the first trimester of pregnancy does not appear
to be associated with an increased risk of malformations, spontaneous abortions, or
decreased birth weight, however, larger studies are needed to confirm these observations.
KEYWORDS
Metoclopramide - nausea - vomiting - pregnancy