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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Safety of Placenta-Targeted Drug Delivery Using Three Complementary Methods
Published on: September 10, 2018
Paternal exposure to methotrexate and pregnancy outcomes
Delphine Beghin1, Marie-Pierre Cournot, Catherine Vauzelle
1Centre de Référence sur les Agents Tératogènes (CRAT), Hôpital Armand Trousseau, Groupe Universitaire Est, Paris, France.
Objective:
To assess the risk of major malformation in the case of paternal exposure to methotrexate (MTX) at the time of conception.
Methods:
Using prospective data of our Teratology Information Service, we analyzed outcomes of paternal MTX exposure at the time of conception or up to 3 months before conception.
Results:
We report on the outcomes of 42 pregnancies involving 40 men treated with MTX at the time of conception. Twenty-three men were treated for an inflammatory disease (54.8%), 9 for psoriasis (21.4%), and 8 for a malignant disease (19.0%). Weekly dosages varied between 7.5 mg and 30 mg. The pregnancies resulted in 36 live births, 3 spontaneous abortions, and 3 voluntary abortions. No congenital malformation was observed at birth.
Conclusion:
Based on our results and case reports in literature, paternal MTX exposure at the time of conception does not seem to raise any major concern for offspring.
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