LAUSR

Global antibiotic use has risen 65% worldwide and 114% in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2015 [1]. During pregnancy, anywhere from 20% to over 40% of women may receive a course of antibiotics [2, 3], and antibiotics account for 80% of medications used by pregnant women in the USA [4]. Although antibiotics in pregnancy can treat many infections, including bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections, they may also have unintended adverse consequences [4]. Given the ubiquitous exposure to antibiotics in pregnancy, even a small adverse effect of maternal antibiotic use on health outcomes in the mother or her child could pose a substantial public health problem. Maternal antibiotic use before, during and after pregnancy is associated with higher child asthma risk. Lack of specificity to the pregnancy period suggests the association is not causal or the window of susceptibility extends outside pregnancy. http://ow.ly/U29f30kFD2I