Can I take beclometasone skin cream while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about beclometasone skin cream.
In short
Pregnancy: Beclometasone cream is safe to use while you're pregnant.
Breastfeeding: You can use beclometasone cream or ointment while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- As it goes on your skin, very little of the medicine reaches your blood and almost none reaches your baby.
- Even if a little does reach your baby, it will not harm them.
Breastfeeding
- The amount that gets into breast milk is not known, but it's probably tiny, and your baby will not absorb much of it.
- Side effects in your baby are unlikely.
- Make sure your baby does not touch any part of your body where you've put beclometasone.
- If you're using it on your breasts, wash any cream or ointment off your breasts or nipples, and then wash your hands, before you feed your baby.
- While breastfeeding, cream is usually a better choice than ointment because it washes off more easily.
- As soon as you can, get in touch with your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor if your baby is feeding less well than normal, or if anything else about your baby worries you.
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 skin cream in pregnancy
The NHS says
Beclometasone cream is safe to use while you're pregnant.
As it goes on your skin, very little of the medicine reaches your blood and almost none reaches your baby. Even if a little does reach your baby, it will not harm them.
In our words, from the NHS page Beclometasone skin cream (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 skin cream while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can use beclometasone cream or ointment while breastfeeding.
The amount that gets into breast milk is not known, but it's probably tiny, and your baby will not absorb much of it. Side effects in your baby are unlikely.
Make sure your baby does not touch any part of your body where you've put beclometasone. If you're using it on your breasts, wash any cream or ointment off your breasts or nipples, and then wash your hands, before you feed your baby.
While breastfeeding, cream is usually a better choice than ointment because it washes off more easily.
As soon as you can, get in touch with your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor if your baby is feeding less well than normal, or if anything else about your baby worries you.
In our words, from the NHS page Beclometasone skin cream (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 inhalers, beclometasone nasal spray.
Sources
- NHS, Beclometasone skin cream (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 8 January 2024. 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.