[Medication use during pregnancy and lactation; urgent need for one independent source of information]

It is important for healthcare professionals and pregnant women to have knowledge of the risks of using medicines during pregnancy and lactation. This not only concerns the influence of the medicinal product on the pregnant woman and the pregnancy, but also its impact on the growth and development of the (unborn) child, neonatal adaptation, possible precautions regarding child-birth, drug excretion in breast milk, and the short-term and long-term consequences for the newborn child. At present, information and advices are often fragmentary, sometimes contradictory, not easily accessible, or even not available at all. It is high time for one independent source to provide unambiguous, scientifically substantiated information and advice, accessible to both healthcare professionals and pregnant women - preferably in a digital format.