[Impact of pregnancy on drug pharmacokinetics: What implication in clinical practice?]

D Beghin1

  • 1Centre de référence sur les agents tératogènes (CRAT), DMU ESPRIT (épidémiologie et biostatistique, santé publique, pharmacie, pharmacologie, recherche, information médicale, thérapeutique et médicaments), GHU AP-HP Sorbonne université, site Trousseau 26, avenue Dr Netter, 75571 Paris cedex 12, France.

Physiological changes that occur during pregnancy in the maternal body can lead to alterations in the response to drugs in the mother. Pregnancy modifies the volume of distribution of drugs, their binding to plasma proteins, the activity of their metabolizing enzymes, and their elimination. However, to date, due to the dynamic and complex processes involved, adjustments to the dosage regimen during pregnancy remain impossible to standardize. Knowledge of these modifications will help to better understand the possible loss of drug efficacy during pregnancy, as well as anticipating the clinical and plasma monitoring of drugs with a low therapeutic margin.

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