From: "Steve Harris" <sbharris@ix.RETICULATEDOBJECTcom.com>
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Awful recurring Urinary Tract infections
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 10:09:26 -0700
Message-ID: <bhgfs2$svg$1@slb9.atl.mindspring.net>

"Terri" <vl-hb001@erols.com> wrote in message
news:6d68c95c.0308140712.4aa64033@posting.google.com...
> Cephalosporin is listed as pregnancy cateogry B indicating that safety
> in pregnancy has not been established in humans.


COMMENT:

There is no category A. Category B means there is no known
association with birth defects in humans despite wide use,
and the drug is probably safe, and in consequence often
given to pregnant women when needed. All antibiotics
routinely used and first used in pregancy are category B.
The idea that a woman with severe cystitis should not use
antiobiotics in category B because she MIGHT be pregnant, is
ridiculous. Most women of childbearing age MIGHT be pregant.
Are we to stop treating all their infections except with the
voodoo wand?


> I think the OP's concern is fully justified, given that his wife might
> be taking the drug at the moment of conception, when drugs are most
> likely to harm the embryo.


Wrong again. Maximal danger to the embryo from toxins is at
the time of organogenesis at 6-8 weeks. The conceptus in the
first couple of weeks is pretty tough and hard to damage.
It's made *entirely* of those magic embryonic stem cells
which fix everything, remember? You can cut it in half and
all you get is two healthy embryos.



> The advice that a woman who is planning to conceive should behave as
> though she were already pregnant is excellent advice.

Not if she has severe infection and blood in her urine. Then
it's stupid advice.

> I'd advise the couple to stop trying to conceive until the wife's
> urological problem has been investigated and solved.

A woman who gets bladder infections with intercourse does
not have a urological problem which warrants work up. How
are you going to investigate this, Dr. Terri? X-rays and
contrast? Uroscopes and anesthetics?  And what are you going
to find that you're going to fix, and just how are you going
to fix it?  You're the doctor making the suggestions, so now
let's see you show your stuff.

SBH


Category B
Most antibiotics are Category B, which means that there is
no known association with birth defects or other
pregnancy-related complication and the drug is probably
safe. These include:

Amoxicillin
Ampicillin
Augmentin (amoxicillin-clavulanate)
Dicloxicillin
Macrobid (nitrofurantoin)
Flagyl (metronidazole) (although there is some controversy
about taking it by mouth in the first trimester)
Cephalosporins including:
    Keflex (cephalexin), Ceclor (cefaclor), Duricef
(cefadroxil)
Cleocin (clindamycin)
Erythromycin (all forms)
Zithromax (azithromycin)
Sulfa drugs (until near term)
Famvir (famciclovir)
Clotrimazole (Mycelex, Lotrimin)
Nystatin (Mycostatin)