Hydroxychloroquine

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Date: May 2025, Version 2.0

Quick read

Hydroxychloroquine can be used in pregnancy if recommended by a specialist.

What is it?

Hydroxychloroquine (Quinoric®) is used to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Benefits

What are the benefits of taking hydroxychloroquine in pregnancy?

If you have lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, hydroxychloroquine stops your immune system from attacking your body’s tissues. This is important to reduce unpleasant symptoms and prevent long-term damage to joints and organs. Hydroxychloroquine may also lower the chance of some pregnancy problems linked to uncontrolled autoimmune disease, including miscarriage and lower infant birth weight.

Risks

Are there any risks of taking hydroxychloroquine during pregnancy?

There are no concerns that taking hydroxychloroquine in pregnancy can harm your baby.

Alternatives

Are there any alternatives to taking hydroxychloroquine in pregnancy?

Possibly. Other drugs can be used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. However, hydroxychloroquine works well for many people and has been better studied than many of the possible alternatives. Hydroxychloroquine is often the safest option to make sure your autoimmune disease stays well-controlled during pregnancy.

No treatment

What if I prefer not to take medicines in pregnancy?

It is important to continue medicines to treat autoimmune disease in pregnancy to avoid serious complications for both you and your baby.

Will my baby need extra monitoring during pregnancy?

Women in the UK should be offered a very detailed scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy as part of their routine antenatal care. Taking hydroxychloroquine in pregnancy is not expected to cause problems that would require extra monitoring of your baby. However, women with autoimmune disease may be more closely monitored during pregnancy to ensure that they remain well throughout and that their baby is growing and developing as expected. 

Are there any risks to my baby if the father has taken hydroxychloroquine?

There is currently no evidence that hydroxychloroquine used by the father can harm your baby through effects on the sperm.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?

If you have any questions regarding the information in this leaflet, please discuss them with your health care provider. They can access more detailed medical and scientific information from www.uktis.org.

How can I help to improve drug safety information for pregnant women in the future?

Our online reporting system (MyBump Portal) allows women who are currently pregnant to create a secure record of their pregnancy, collected through a series of questionnaires. You will be asked to enter information about your health, whether or not you take any medicines, your pregnancy outcome and your child's development. You can update your details at any time during pregnancy or afterwards. This information will help us better understand how medicines affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. Please visit the MyBump Portal to register.

General information
Sadly, miscarriage and birth defects can occur in any pregnancy.

Miscarriage occurs in about 1 in every 5 pregnancies, and 1 in every 40 babies are born with a birth defect. This is called the ‘background risk’ and happens whether medication is taken or not.

Most medicines cross the placenta and reach the baby. For many medications this is not a problem. However, some medicines can affect a baby’s growth and development.

If you take regular medication and are planning to conceive, you should discuss whether your medicine is safe to continue with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant. If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking a medicine, you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.

If a new medicine is suggested for you during pregnancy, please make sure that the person prescribing it knows that you are pregnant. If you have any concerns about a medicine, you can check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.

Our Bumps information leaflets provide information about the effects of medicines in pregnancy so that you can decide, together with your healthcare provider, what is best for you and your baby.