MiraLAX is a brand-name powder prescribed to help treat constipation. It contains the active ingredient polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350). MiraLAX is safe to take during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Keep reading for specific information about reproductive health and MiraLAX. For a comprehensive look at MiraLAX, see this article.
If you can become pregnant, it’s important to consider whether MiraLAX is a safe choice for you.
The American College of Gastroenterology recommends MiraLAX when laxative use is needed during pregnancy. In general, MiraLAX is considered safe to take during pregnancy when other methods of treating constipation have failed. Other ways to treat constipation without using medication include changes to diet and lifestyle. Before you take MiraLAX, you should ask your doctor whether they feel it’s safe for you specifically.
Although human studies have not evaluated MiraLAX during pregnancy, it’s thought that very little MiraLAX is absorbed by the body. It’s unlikely that MiraLAX will affect a fetus if a pregnant person takes it. Studies of pregnant animals given MiraLAX found no harm to a fetus.
If you’re breastfeeding or planning to do so, it’s important to consider how MiraLAX may affect you and the child who is breastfed.
According to a 2005 literature review from the American Gastroenterological Association, MiraLAX is considered low risk as a treatment during breastfeeding.
Although human studies have not evaluated MiraLAX during breastfeeding, it’s thought that very little MiraLAX is absorbed by the body. It’s unlikely that the drug would affect a child who is breastfed if it’s taken by a person who is lactating.
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