Can Deworming Cause Abortion (Terminate Pregnancy)

Worm infection in pregnancy can lead foetal effects known to include intrauterine growth retardation and physical and mental growth retardation, while the mothers may develop anemia which could potentially result in death. Preventive chemotherapy (deworming), using single-dose albendazole (400 mg) or mebendazole (500 mg), is recommended as a public health intervention for pregnant women, after the first trimester.

Worm

Although deworming treatment is considered safe and effective at any time, it is recommended that pregnant women in the first trimester be excluded from deworming treatment.

Read Also: Treatment of worm infection

Treatment during pregnancy reduces by 14% the risk of their child dying within the first four weeks after birth. Another benefit is that treating pregnant women with anthelmintic medicines can avoid low birth  weight.

Deworming Terminate (Abort) Pregnancy

There is no record that deworming drugs at the recommended dose abort pregnancy. Although, deworming should be avoided in the early days of pregnancy. However, accidental use of deworming drugs in early pregnancy have not been reported to cause abortion.

Read Also: Night time not best time to take deworming drugs

Studies that included women taking mebendazole during the first trimester of pregnancy found that these women do not seem to have a higher chance of having a baby with a birth defect, miscarriage (abortion), premature delivery, stillbirth and very low birth weight or the baby dying soon after birth.

Pregnant women may be able to avoid taking medicines to treat threadworms by using strict hygiene measures to clear themselves.