Clomid Birth Defect Risk

Note: CSS is no longer pursuing Clomid cases. This post is for educational purposes only.

Clomid (generic: clomiphene citrate) is a popular, widely used fertility drug. It was approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in 1967 to help women suffering from infertility. It induces ovulation in women who do not usually produce eggs. Multiple studies have found that Clomid usage before and during pregnancy can result in serious birth defects and abnormalities.

FDA Warning

The FDA implemented a five-category classification system that ranks fetal risks due to pharmaceuticals.  The FDA classified Clomid as a category x drug, which is the highest risk category. This means that there is evidence that this drug causes fetal abnormalities and that its risk outweighs any benefits. Category x drugs are not meant for women who are or may become pregnant.

Recent Study Reveals Significant Birth Defect Correlation

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced a study in 2010 that found a significant correlation between Clomid and more than nine different types of life-threatening birth defects. The research, which was published in the journal Human Reproduction, involved women who took Clomid anywhere from two months prior to conception through the first month of pregnancy.  The birth defects associated with Clomid usage included:

• Anencephaly (open cranium with the absence of a brain)
• Esophageal atresia (closed esophagus)
• Dandy-Walker malformation (defect of the brain)
• Omphalocele (protrusion of the intestine through the abdominal wall)
• Craniosynostosis (premature fusion of the skull bones, leading to an abnormally shaped head)
• Cloacal extrophy (involves multiple abnormalities of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts)
• Three different types of heart defects

In addition, a 2003 study (Reefhuis, et al) also linked Clomid to birth defects and found that mothers who took Clomid had 10 times the risk of giving birth to an infant with spina bifida.

Clomid Linked to Autism Spectrum Disorder

A Harvard School of Public Health 2010 study found that fertility drug such as Clomid practically doubled the risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children whose mothers took the medication during pregnancy. A Time Magazine article concerning the study stated, “The association between fertility drugs and autism appeared to strengthen with exposure: the longer women reported being treated for infertility, the higher the chances their child had an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).”

Note: CSS is no longer pursuing Clomid cases. This post is for educational purposes only.