Can prescription medicine affect my ability to become pregnant or conceive a baby?
Some prescription medicine can affect your ability to become pregnant. If your health care provider knows you are hoping to conceive, they can plan to adjust or change medicine that may pose problems before you start trying. Always speak with your health care provider (including your pharmacist) before you start or stop taking any prescription medicine.
Some prescription medicine can make it harder to become pregnant. The following types of prescription medicine may affect your chance of becoming pregnant:
- birth control (for information about timing of pregnancy after stopping birth control)
- prescription medicine that can affect your interest in sex
- some prescription pain medicine can affect ovulation (release of an egg)
- prescription steroids (used for asthma, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis) can stop monthly menstrual cycles
- immunosuppressant drugs (for lupus or rheumatoid arthritis) can prevent ovulation and stop monthly menstrual cycles
Treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer can have lasting effects on your reproductive organs.
Some prescription medicine that can reduce your chances of conceiving a baby by affecting sperm quantity or quality. The prescription medicine below may affect sperm:
- Testosterone: Testosterone helps to make sperm. If you’re taking another source of testosterone, this may decrease the amount of testosterone your body makes. This can decrease sperm count.
- Some antidepressants may affect your sperm quality.
- The anti-fungal medicine ketoconazole in pill form can reduce testosterone, which can cause a lower sperm count
Testosterone also plays a role in sex drive, so ketoconazole may also lower sex drive.
