Is a Cortisone Injection safe for potential pregnancy?

Hi! Cortisone shots are safe during pregnancy because I had to take them while I was pregnant due to my asthma problem. Cortisone shots deliver cortisol, which is a natural hormone produced by our own bodies and it would not hurt the baby unless taken too much. Cortisol is produced originally by the adrenal glands and if a woman takes too much, it is said it could affect the baby’s adrenal gland work but I had three and everything was ok, my doctors said it was safe and I have just had a very healthy baby.
Maybe you should also discuss it with your doctor depending on your individual situation, but it shouldn’t be a problem. Good luck with conception!!!!!

I just met with a neurologist yesterday. I have back pain but am also trying to get pregnant. The dr. told me that while getting cortisone shots will not necessarily harm the baby, there is a potential that the embryo will have a problem attaching to the uterine lining.

Steroids are considered a Class C drug, which means there have been adverse side effects on fetus' of animals who were pregnant and that there are no studies done on pregnant women. Perhaps the reason being if there are adverse side effects on the animals, what pregnant woman would want to undergo studies to see if it would hurt her baby! Think again and do your own research before taking any meds. Sometimes asking a doctor is not enough. Many doctors are burned out and don't have answers because....yes, you need relief for your symptoms, and no, they don't have any meds they can give you that would be a better choice such as a Class A or Class B, so they choose to tell you that the steroid shot is OK. Ask your pharmacist and look at the drug's website to see what pregnancy class the drug is.

MY QUESTION IS SIMILAR TO THE SUBJECT... HOW LONG TO WAIT BEFOR GETTING PREGNANT AFTER 1 OR TWO CORTIZONE SHOTS YEARS APART?

I JUST HAD A CORTISONE SHOT FOR L4-L5 SLIPPED DISC. I'M 24 WEEKS PREGNANT AND WHEN I ASKED MY PAIN CLINIC DR IF IT WOULD BE OKAY TO HAVE ANOTHER ROUND OF INJECTIONS IF IT STARTS TO BECOMING PAINFUL AGAIN. HE SAID THAT THE CORTISONE WILL MAKE THE BABY "MATURE" MORE THAN NORMAL BABIES AND ONE MORE ROUND SHOULDN'T HARM HIM. 

I too have similar concerns of previous posts. I'm 37 and am trying to conceive my first baby. Everything has been on hold as I have two protruding discs in my lower back. I'm scheduled to have my first steroid injection soon. My doc told me to wait a month or so before getting pregnant so the medicine can "settle" and then another month to make sure it works. I don't really know what that means, but I am desperate to become pregnant as time is a-tickin'!! I'm also very scared about how my back will hold up during pregancy. Back pain is so dibilitating! I'll ask when I go in, for the baby's safety, when is the soonest I can start trying and post again.

I am in the same boat. I have 9 herniated discs and two bulging. I am 36 and have been trying to get pregnant, I guess I am a real glutten for punishment. I started my second round of shots yesterday, and asked the doctor at the pain clinic what treatments are available during pregnancy. She told me that the shots are not safe during the first trimester but ok to do later in the pregnancy. Which is a big relief to me, but I didn't think of it being an issue while getting pregnant. I'm going to continue researching the subject. From what I've found so far the risk is of the baby developing a cleft pallet.

Hi I am in same situation as you. I am going to get a shot on lower back but I don't want to risk chances of getting pregnant. Are you still trying or pregnant yet. I have been having problems getting pregnant already as it is..

I'm 41 and NOT trying to get pregnant. However, there is a chance that I could be. I had a cortisone epidural for bulging disks and sciatic nerve pain relief, which helped amazingly! I was asked if I was pregnant and answered "No". I was supposed to get my period the very next day...regular like clockwork...and was having all they signs that I was about to start, so I wasn't worried at all. Then my period didn't come. I was actually 8 days late when it finally started. And then it didn't stop! I went in to see my OB/GYN, they did a pregnancy test that was negative and gave me a prescrition for progesterone. She said that maybe I had fibroids in my uterus because it felt like an 8-10 week pregnancy.

The bleeding lasted 21 days! It finally stopped and I started on a round of birth control pills. I should have gotten my period again yesterday. Today, as I was sitting at my computer, I keep feeling this flutter in my abdomen. I felt it before when I was pregnant with my other kids around 13-14 weeks, which is about where I would be if I was pregnant now. I'm kinda freaking out about the effects of the radiograph from the cortisone injection and all the other drugs I have been taking for pain and to get my bleeding under control.

At my OB/GYN appt, my doc scheduled an ultrasound to check on the fibroids after my 1st regular period....which isn't here yet. My ultrasound is next week. I think I will be a nervous wreck until then. Any ideas about the effect of all of this on such a small fetus?

Monkeysmomma, my advice would be to have an ultrasound and do not stop taking the progesterone until you know for sure you are not pregnant. Drs also prescribe it for women who do not produce enough and any sudden change in the amount your body is getting could cause your body to start shedding the linning of the uterus which would lead to misscarriage. Need to take it until atleast 16 weeks

 

Im 27, got shot on my lower back on November and unexpected got pregnant on December and miscarriage on jan 6, want to share and know more about this ... thanks

Monkeysmomma, do you mind if I ask how this resolved? I, too, just had a shot of cortisone last week, answered "no" on the pregnancy question, and yesterday was supposed to get my period (I'm like clockwork too). As you say, I also "had all the signs it should start"... but it hasn't. It's obviously really early on, but I'd love to hear if there's anything I should keep an eye out for with relation to the injections and whether or not you turned out to be pregnant. Obviously I'll go see a doctor in a few days if I'm still late, but our stories sound almost eerily similar so far. Hope you are well.

I am 9 weeks pregnant and have rheumatoid arthritis. I am having a flare up and asked my doctor if a cortisone injection would be ok. She told me that cortisone in the first trimester is linked with cleft palates! It is safer the later in pregnancy your are, end of 2nd or in your 3rd trimester.

I'm 31 & have chronic disc degeneration in my lower back with 3 disc bulges, in particular L5/S1 which has currently caused my foot to go numb & is very painful. I'm 26 weeks pregnant & my neurosurgeon advised me not to have the steroid injections as even though they are localised, the drug is still absorbed into the body & passed onto foetus. So its lots of laying down for me punctuated by 6 x 10 minute gentle walks a day & slow release paracetamol (if i can manage with this & not take anything stronger). Frustrating to say the least