Question: Does the maternal prenatal use of fluconazole increase the risk of congenital malformations in offspring?
Answer: A recent systematic review “aimed to examine the risk of congenital malformations in the offspring of women exposed to fluconazole in the first trimester of pregnancy.” These authors reported “The rate for overall malformations was 1.10 (95% CI 0.98–1.25), for heart defect was 1.29 (95% CI 1.05–1.58), for craniofacial defects was 1.25 (95% CI 0.88–1.77), and for limb/musculoskeletal defects was 0.82 (95% CI 0.59–1.13).” The authors concluded “……the use of fluconazole in the first trimester does not appear to increase the overall risk for congenital malformations. More studies are needed to address the potential increased rate of heart defects.” (Alsaad AMS et al. Exposure to fluconazole and risk of congenital malformations in the offspring: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2015 Reproductive Tox 52:78-82)