Is Nor-QD Safe During Pregnancy?
Nor-QD® (norethindrone) is a
birth control pill, technically known as an
oral contraceptive. Women should not intentionally take Nor-QD (or any birth control pill) during pregnancy. While doing so is probably not dangerous, it does not provide any benefit at all.
(Nor-QD is equivalent to Camila® and Nora-BE® birth control pills. The information in this article applies to each of these medications as well.)
Nor-QD and Pregnancy Category X
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category X is given to medications that should not be used during pregnancy, usually due to serious problems, such as birth defects or miscarriages.
Although it is "common knowledge" that taking birth control pills during early pregnancy is dangerous, in reality, doing so is not likely to cause any serious problems, even though Nor-QD is a pregnancy Category X medication. Large studies have shown no increased risk of birth defects when birth control pills were accidentally taken in early pregnancy.
If you accidentally used Nor-QD for awhile before you realized you were pregnant, this probably will not cause any problems, although you should discuss this with your healthcare provider. If you are pregnant, you should stop using Nor-QD right away. If you think you may be pregnant, you should contact your healthcare provider for further instructions.
