Can I take edoxaban while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about edoxaban.
In short
Pregnancy: Let your doctor know if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Breastfeeding: Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Edoxaban is not used in pregnancy because it may not be safe for the baby, so your doctor may suggest another treatment while you're pregnant.
Breastfeeding
- You should not use edoxaban during breastfeeding, because it gets into breast milk and it's not certain whether this is safe for a baby.
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
Edoxaban in pregnancy
The NHS says
Let your doctor know if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Edoxaban is not used in pregnancy because it may not be safe for the baby, so your doctor may suggest another treatment while you're pregnant.
In our words, from the NHS page Edoxaban (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 Available data about SAVAYSA use in pregnant women are insufficient to determine whether there are drug-associated risks for adverse developmental outcomes. In animal developmental studies, no adverse developmental effects were seen when edoxaban was administered orally to pregnant rats and rabbits during organogenesis at up to 16-times and 8-times, respectively, the human exposure, when based on body surface area and AUC, respectively (see Data ) . The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): SAVAYSA (oral), Daiichi Sankyo Inc. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Edoxaban while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding. You should not use edoxaban during breastfeeding, because it gets into breast milk and it's not certain whether this is safe for a baby.
In our words, from the NHS page Edoxaban (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
Two women had low breastmilk levels after taking edoxaban 60 mg daily for 3 days and twin infants were partially breastfed during their mother’s edoxaban use without any bleeding. However, because so little information is available on the use of edoxaban during breastfeeding and the drug is orally absorbable, an alternate drug is preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.[1,2]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Edoxaban” (LM1167), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Edoxaban while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
8.2 Lactation Risk Summary There are no data on the presence of edoxaban in human milk, or its effects on the breastfeeding infant or on milk production. Edoxaban was present in rat milk. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, including hemorrhage, advise patients that breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with SAVAYSA.
Prescribing label, section “8.2 Lactation”: SAVAYSA (oral), Daiichi Sankyo Inc. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Lixiana.
Sources
- NHS, Edoxaban (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 5 August 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: SAVAYSA (oral), Daiichi Sankyo Inc., human prescription drug, label effective 10 July 2025, set ID e77d3400-56ad-11e3-949a-0800200c9a66. 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 “Edoxaban” (LM1167), 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.