Spironolactone and trying to conceive

Guest wrote:

lauriecs wrote:

I have been taking Spironolactone for a year and a half to control my acne. I have heard that it is unsafe to take while pregnant. Is there a period of time I should wait after going off of it before trying to conceive? How long does it take to get out of your system completely?

Hello
I am just trawling the internet trying to find out if spiro can have a lasting effect on fertility. I was also on spiro for about a year and a half and came off it about 5 months ago, I also stopped using BC then as we decided we would like to start trying for a baby. So far I have yet to conceive, I don't know why this has just dawned on me but I am suddenly in a panic that I have caused problems for my fertility by messing with my hormones.
Having read that you wrote this post in 2006, I just wondered....did you manage to get pregnant?

Thanks in advance!

Hi , i am also PCOS since Nov 2008 . My Doc put me off spiro in July 2010 coz i wanted to conceive and I conceived in Dec 2010 successfully. My son is now 1 yr old....cheers

My doctor has told me that once you stop taking spironolactone, you should be able to start trying to conceive without issues. She has had patients get pregnant while still taking spironolactone and haven't had problems. I have read some research stating that women were put on spironolactone in order to decrease androgen levels in order increase chances of conceiving. 

My question, does your acne return after going off the spironolactone while trying to conceive or does acne come back during pregnancy? I have been on spironolactone for acne and possible PCOS for almost seven months and I have noticed dramatic improvement in my acne in the past two months. I am afraid to go off of it, but my husband and I want to start trying to have children. I know it is very vain, but I have a job in the health field and having poor skin really hurts my confidence and worries me that others do not take what I have to say seriously since I look like I can't take care of myself. I am just wondering if the acne will return once I go off of it. My dermatologist has said that some women experience a 'honeymoon' period for awhile after quitting spironolactone, so my acne may not come back for a year or so. Then, when it does, I will have to go back on spironolactone. Please let us know experiences in this area if anyone has dealt with this?!

I have been on Spiro for two years and are having issues ovulating.  I've had a period for 2 consecutive months non-stop and have been to a few doctors.  The final word is I'm not ovulating and will need to try hormones to stop my periods and try to get my body back on the right path.  I've seen a lot of women post the same issues with periods above, so maybe you might be having the same issue and are not ovulating.  This is an ongoing process as they do not know if the hormones will get my body back in sync.  We've tried a few hormones and they have not helped.  If we can't ovulate, we would have to do more drastic things for another child.  I have asked to be taken off Spiro.  It's not worth all the female related issues and is not worth a chance of a tumor either (first warning on the medication is it has caused tumors).  My doctor also said to go off the Spiro if you are trying to conceive as it can cause issues with a baby girls developing reproductive system.  Good luck to everyone! 

Spiro should not be taken DURING pregnancy, that said while TTC you perfectly fine taking it. The babies genitals don't fully develop till about 12ish weeks or so. Which is the main concern with Spiro and pregnancy. Of course that said as soon as you find out your preggers you should stop Spiro and consult your Dr. about ALL medications, vitamins, supplments, creams,caffeine, etc you are ingesting. If it lowers androgens like it should a chance of achieving pregnancy would theoretically be higher for woman with PCOS. Of course there's all kinds of debate on this BUT it should.

 

I got pregnant right after taking spiro, and I think the warning issued concerning pregnancy with this med has nothing to do with fertility or being able to conceive but more about the effect taking it while pregnant can have on fetuses hormonally.

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Hopefully, you've gotten pregnant by now, but if not, it's probably not due to spiro use. But everybody's chemistry is different. Always, see a licensed medical professional for the best advice.

YES! Same here. I think that if you're taking spiro and get pregnant, just stop. I, too, gave birth to a healthy son who is 5 now with genitalia in place and no feminine tendencies (smile) as a boy. However, I remember when I did get pregnant with him, I asked my doctor about whether I should be worried because I was taking spiro, and she said NO and just switched me to another med to take while carrying the baby. Lot's of great posts here already about the good things spiro can do. It definitely cleared up my acne and caused me to retain less fluid and maintained my blood pressures. Hairiness is an issue for me, and all of these combined were why a doctor prescribed them for me as well.

I have to say that I have no idea if you can take it while pregnant. However, I went to my OB because I was having trouble getting pregnant. He did blood work and I was diagnosed with PCOS. PCOS is when your body produces too much male hormones which causes your body to not ovulate. Spironolactone is used to block the male hormone causing you to ovulate and therefore get pregnant... :) So it is used for people with fertility problems. So I would say it would make someone with PCOS more fertile. :)

Hello I'm doing research on spironolactone cause I'm taking it for acne and I've been taking it for about 3 months. However I am late on my cycle and I am worried. It is the 24th and I was supposed to get my period the 18th. Any help? How was your pregnancy? Healthy? Anything will help thanks.

If you have PCOS it is absolutely used for increasing the chance of fertility.. However my team of doctors also told me to stop the med as soon as I have conceived. It is not safe for continued use while pregnant.

This was very helpful. I have been on spironolactone and birth control for over 5yrs with amazing results! No break outs at all. I have moderate to severe acne without it. My husband and I are going to try to have a baby soon. My dermatologist and I came up with a plan to switch to finacea, then add erythromyacin if needed. I am now off the birth control for almost 2 months and have been using finacea topical for 4 months as it is safe during pregnancy. The finacea seemed to work so I eventually stopped the spironolactone, but my skin began to break out rapidly. I have begun the spironolactone again, but do not plan to continue once I am pregnant. I was wondering how your skin was during pregnancy……I am concerned about the difficulty keeping my skin clear during pregnancy even after several months of using finacea. However, since the hormones are the culprit of my skin issues and will drastically change during pregnancy I was wondering what your experience was.
Thanks

This is a common side effect. My dermatologist never puts any woman on spironolactone without also making sure they are on some sort of [hormone] birth control. I had a copper IUD which makes periods heavier to begin with, and after going on spironolactone I had heavy periods for 2 weeks at a time with a few days, maybe a week in between. Since I can't do birth control pills due to migraines, the last ditch effort was to swap from the copper IUD to the low hormone Mirena and I haven't had a real period since or any problems. It's been awesome.

what alternative med did your doctor switch you over to during pregnancy?

what medicine did your doctor switch you to? Im having a hard time being prescribed Spiro because I stated I was TTC. If theres another option, I'd love to hear about it!

Before calling someone a fool you should read AND understand what they said! They went OFF spironolactone and birth control to get pregnant. It is not very nice to call people a fool when you didn't read all of what they said. Who looks silly now!

We're you able to conceive? If so did you experience your severe acne during pregnancy? I'm taking spiro but not BC anymore so idk if I should continue to take the spiro until I know I'm for sure pregnant or go off now and pray I don't have my cystic acne again.