Last modified: 11 May 2000
Growth retardation has also been reported in pregnant patients taking cyclosporine, but many of these patients were also included exposures to prednisone, which may have played a role in stunting fetal growth. Other reported complications include high blood pressure, reduced kidney function, diabetes, increased rate of miscarriage and premature delivery. Cyclosporine is known to cross the placenta, and the fetal levels of this drug may range between a third and two thirds of the maternal plasma concentration. However, cyclosporine did not produce reduced kidney function or the immune function in one study on a small group of children with in utero exposure to cyclosporine.
There are a many reports in the medical literature of transplant patients receiving cyclosporine who became pregnant and delivered normal children, but it too early to declare cyclosporine safe during pregnancy. At this point, the risks are still unknown.
Cyclosporine appears in breast milk at small concentrations.