Botox and Fertility Treatments: What You Need to Know

Question
Hi My husband and I are getting ready to start IVF treatment in January. I had botox about 1 month ago. Would this affect the fertlity drugs i will be on or the possible pregnancy?
Thanks for your time

Answer
Hi Tina,

Botox is considered a Class C Drug. Tests on pregnant rats, and rabbits have been done. But no tests have been done on human pregnant women.

Here's some more detailed information :

When pregnant mice and rats were injected intramuscularly during the period of organogenesis, the developmental NOEL of botox was 4 U/kg. Higher doses (8 or 16 U/kg) were associated with reductions in fetal body weights and/or delayed ossification which may be reversible.

In a range finding study in rabbits, daily injection of 0.125 U/kg/day (days 6 to 18 of gestation) and 2 U/kg (days 6 and 13 of gestation) produced severe maternal toxicity, abortions and/or fetal malformations. Higher doses resulted in death of the dams. The rabbit appears to be a very sensitive species to botox.

There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of botox in pregnant women. Because animal reproductive studies are not always predictive of human response, botox should be administered during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. If this drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential risks, including abortion or fetal malformations which have been observed in rabbits.

So as you can, there is substancial birth defects when it was tested on animals, thus its warned to pregnant ladies that there is indeed a chance of spontanious abortion, or birth defects.

As for fertility testing, botox had a direct result with male rats. More on the physical aspect though, it seems to make their back legs weak, making it difficult for them to mate. As for the female embryo, the drug has absolutely no bearing.

Keep in mind, that botox can also be passed along in the breast mild while nursing. However, there is no detailed information as of yet, to determine if it doesnt have a direct effect on the baby, after its born.

It is suggested before having your treatment that you advise your specialist that you have had the drug. He can then determine the risks more indepth, based on your dosage, and so on.

Hope this is of some help, and thanks for writing!

-Kristy