Can I take beclometasone inhalers while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about beclometasone inhalers.
In short
Pregnancy: Beclometasone inhalers may be used while you're pregnant.
Breastfeeding: You can carry on using your beclometasone inhaler as normal while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Because you breathe the medicine into your lungs, only a very small amount enters your bloodstream and almost none reaches your baby.
- Even if a little does reach your baby, it will not harm them.
- Keep using your beclometasone inhaler during pregnancy so that your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stays well controlled.
- A lung condition with breathing difficulties is dangerous for both you and your baby.
- You may find you need more beclometasone while pregnant.
- That's fine: raising the dose when you need to is safe.
Breastfeeding
- There's no information on beclometasone inhalers in breastfeeding, but only tiny amounts are likely to be present in breast milk.
- It's very unlikely to cause side effects in your baby.
- If your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, or you're worried about your baby in any other way, contact your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor promptly.
When to get help
- If your asthma or COPD becomes worse during pregnancy, contact your doctor, midwife or specialist.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist
This page is educational, not advice for your own situation. Talk to your doctor, midwife or pharmacist before you start, stop or change any medicine in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
The details: what each source says
Beclometasone inhalers in pregnancy
The NHS says
Beclometasone inhalers may be used while you're pregnant.
Because you breathe the medicine into your lungs, only a very small amount enters your bloodstream and almost none reaches your baby. Even if a little does reach your baby, it will not harm them.
Keep using your beclometasone inhaler during pregnancy so that your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stays well controlled. A lung condition with breathing difficulties is dangerous for both you and your baby.
You may find you need more beclometasone while pregnant. That's fine: raising the dose when you need to is safe.
If your asthma or COPD becomes worse during pregnancy, contact your doctor, midwife or specialist.
In our words, from the NHS page Beclometasone inhalers (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
The US drug label says
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no adequate and well-controlled studies with QNASL Nasal Aerosol or beclomethasone dipropionate in pregnant women. No published studies, including studies of large birth registries, have to date related the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or intranasal corticosteroids to any increases in congenital malformations or other adverse perinatal outcomes. Thus, available human data do not establish the presence or absence of drug‑associated risk to the fetus. In animal reproduction studies, beclomethasone dipropionate resulted in adverse developmental effects in mice and rabbits at subcutaneous doses equal to or greater than approximately 1.5 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) in adults (0.32 mg/day) (see Data) . In rats exposed to beclomethasone dipropionate by inhalation, dose‑related gross injury to the fetal adrenal glands was observed at doses greater than 350 times the MRHD, but there was no evidence of external or skeletal malformations or embryolethality at inhalation doses of up to 860 times the MRHD. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population(s) are unknown.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): QNASL (nasal), Teva Respiratory, LLC. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the nasal formulation label.
Beclometasone inhalers while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can carry on using your beclometasone inhaler as normal while breastfeeding.
There's no information on beclometasone inhalers in breastfeeding, but only tiny amounts are likely to be present in breast milk. It's very unlikely to cause side effects in your baby.
If your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, or you're worried about your baby in any other way, contact your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor promptly.
In our words, from the NHS page Beclometasone inhalers (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
LactMed says
Although not measured, the amounts of inhaled corticosteroids absorbed into the maternal bloodstream and excreted into breastmilk are probably too small to affect a breastfed infant. Expert opinion considers inhaled, nasal and oral corticosteroids acceptable to use during breastfeeding.[1,2]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Beclomethasone” (LM25), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Beclomethasone while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
8.2 Lactation Risk Summary There are no data available on the presence of beclomethasone dipropionate in human milk, the effects on the breastfed child, or the effects on milk production. However, other corticosteroids have been detected in human milk. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for QNASL and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from beclomethasone dipropionate or from the underlying maternal condition.
Prescribing label, section “8.2 Lactation”: QNASL (nasal), Teva Respiratory, LLC. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the nasal formulation label.
Other names
US name: beclomethasone.
The NHS has separate pages for other forms: beclometasone nasal spray, beclometasone skin cream.
Sources
- NHS, Beclometasone inhalers (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 22 March 2023. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: QNASL (nasal), Teva Respiratory, LLC, human prescription drug, label effective 27 September 2022, set ID 4b8d8e84-b5d2-4e56-97ec-4f72971465c5. DailyMed (National Library of Medicine). Public domain; quoted verbatim.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Beclomethasone” (LM25), bulk release of 22 September 2026. LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. Public domain; quoted verbatim. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sources checked 26 September 2026. How we source and check every page.
Educational summary of named sources, not medical advice.