Question
Re: Humira and Pregnancy I know that most doctors advise their patients who are planning to get pregnant to stop taking Humira since no long-term studies have been done. In your view what is the appropriate amount of time I should be off the drug before conception? My rheumatologist is suggesting 3 months, which sounds quite conservative to me. Isn’t it out of my body well before then? Thanks.
Answer
Hi Becky,
Great question. If only we knew all of the answers !! These drugs (TNF inhibitors – Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Cimzia, Simponi) are not toxic to embryos in animals, and do not reduce fertility in animals. They are harder to study in humans because no one wants to do a clinical trial during pregnancy (too much legal liability !!). But, experience overall is pretty good. there is some evidence that cleft palate and another congenital problem (called VATER) could be increased when pregnant women take these drugs but the data are somewhat weak. In patients with bad RA, we often stop the drug as soon as we know the patient is pregnant. I will say, though, that most of our patients don’t want to take any chances, so they want to stop the drug while they are trying to conceive. It’s really an individual decision between patient and doctor. You are right, though, that the Humira will wash out long before three months are up.
