Oral retinoids are a type of medicine used to treat severe acne . They’re sold under the brand name Roaccutane, among others. While oral retinoids are very effective, they can have harmful effects if taken during pregnancy.
These medicines can cause miscarriages and major congenital abnormalities (harm to unborn babies) including in the brain, heart and face. At least 30% of children exposed to oral retinoids in pregnancy have severe congenital abnormalities. Neurodevelopmental problems (in learning, reading, social skills, memory and attention) are also common.
Because of these risks, the Australasian College of Dermatologists advises oral retinoids should not be prescribed a month before or during pregnancy under any circumstances. Dermatologists are instructed to make sure a woman isn’t pregnant before starting this treatment, and discuss the risks with women of childbearing age. But despite this, and warnings on the medicines’ packaging , pregnancies exposed to oral retinoids continue to be reported in Australia and around the world .
In a study published this month, we wanted to find out what proportion of Australian women of reproductive age were taking oral retinoids, and how many of these women were using contraception. Our results suggest a high proportion of women are not using effective contraception while on these drugs, indicating Australia needs a strategy to reduce the risk oral retinoids pose to unborn babies. Using birth control to avoid pregnancy durin.
