except for some vitamins little is known about using dietary supplements while pregnant. some herbal remedy labels claim they will help with pregnancy. but most often there are no good studies to show if these claims are true or if the herb can cause harm to or your baby. talk with your doctor before using any herbal product or dietary supplement. these products may contain things that could harm you or your growing baby during your pregnancy. in the u. s. there are different laws for medicines and for dietary supplements. the part of the fda that controls dietary supplements is the same part that controls foods sold in the u. s. only dietary supplements containing new dietary ingredients that were not marketed before october 15 1994 submit safety information for review by the fda. however unlike medicines herbal remedies and "natural products" are not approved by the fda for safety or for what they say they will do. most have not even been evaluated for their potential to cause harm to you or the growing fetus let alone shown to be safe for use in pregnancy. before a company can sell a medicine the company must complete many studies and send the results to the fda. many scientists and doctors at the fda check the study results. the fda allows the medicine to be sold only if the studies show that the medicine works and is safe to use.
are herbal remedies or natural products safe for me when i am pregnant?