Pregnancy & Lactation : הריון/הנקה

4.6   Fertility, pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy:
Morphine should only be used when benefit is known to outweigh risk. As with all drugs it is not advisable to administer morphine during pregnancy. Morphine crosses the placental barrier.
Administration during labour may cause respiratory depression in the new born infant and gastric stasis during labour, increasing the risk of inhalation pneumonia. Therefore, it is not advisable to administer morphine during labour.

Babies born to opioid-dependent mothers may suffer withdrawal symptoms including CNS hyperirritability, gastrointestinal dysfunction, respiratory distress and vague autonomic symptoms including yawning, sneezing, mottling and fever.

Newborns whose mothers received opioid analgesics during pregnancy should be monitored for signs of neonatal withdrawal (abstinence) syndrome.
Treatment may include an opioid and supportive care.

Breast-feeding:
While morphine can suppress lactation, the quantity from therapeutic doses that may reach the neonate via breast milk is probably insufficient to cause major problems of dependence or adverse effects.

Fertility
Animal studies have shown that morphine may reduce fertility (see section 5.3.)