Pharmacort Use In Pregnancy & Lactation

Use in Pregnancy: Category C: Corticosteroids may cause fetal damage when administered to pregnant women. Women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant while receiving should inform their physician. Hydrocortisone and other corticosteroids should only be used during pregnancy if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
Hydrocortisone readily cross the placenta. Carefully monitor infants born to women who received corticosteroids during pregnancy for symptoms of adrenal insufficiency. There are no known effects of corticosteroids on labor and delivery.
Use in Lactation: Corticosteroids may be excreted in breast milk. Although hydrocortisone doses up to 160 mg daily are unlike to cause systemic effects in the infant, infants of mothers taking higher doses than this may have a degree of adrenal suppression. It may also suppress growth, interfere with endogenous corticosteroid production, or cause untoward effects. Hydrocortisone and other corticosteroids should be administered to breastfeeding mothers only if the potential benefits outweigh the potential risk to the infant.