The effects of nifedipine and ivabradine on the functionality of the early rat embryonic heart. Are these drugs a risk in early human pregnancy?
Helen Elizabeth RitchieCarolina TeleniusElin GustaffsonWilliam S WebsterPublished in: Birth defects research (2019)
The results suggest that exposure to nifedipine in human pregnancy 3-4 weeks postfertilization may cause a direct effect on the embryonic heart resulting in reduced blood flow leading to abnormal heart and/or blood vessel development and/or embryonic death. Accidental exposure to ivabradine in the organogenic period would be expected to cause embryonic bradycardia, hypoxia, malformations, and embryonic death. This drug is currently contraindicated in pregnancy.