Can I take fluticasone inhalers while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about fluticasone inhalers.
In short
Pregnancy: Keeping your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) under control during pregnancy is important.
Breastfeeding: You can use your fluticasone inhaler as normal while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Struggling to breathe while pregnant can be dangerous for both you and your baby.
- A fluticasone inhaler can be used in pregnancy.
- As it goes directly into your lungs, very little reaches your blood or your baby.
- Even if a little does reach your baby, there's no evidence it will cause harm.
- If you become pregnant while using fluticasone, do not stop using your inhaler.
- Speak to your doctor if you have any worries or problems with your asthma or COPD or your medicine.
Breastfeeding
- The amount of fluticasone that reaches breast milk is not known, but it's probably tiny, and your baby will not absorb much of it from the milk.
- Side effects in your baby are very unlikely.
- 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
Fluticasone inhalers in pregnancy
The NHS says
Keeping your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) under control during pregnancy is important. Struggling to breathe while pregnant can be dangerous for both you and your baby.
A fluticasone inhaler can be used in pregnancy. As it goes directly into your lungs, very little reaches your blood or your baby. Even if a little does reach your baby, there's no evidence it will cause harm.
If you become pregnant while using fluticasone, do not stop using your inhaler. Speak to your doctor if you have any worries or problems with your asthma or COPD or your medicine.
In our words, from the NHS page Fluticasone 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
If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.
Drug Facts label: Fluticasone (nasal), YYBA CORP. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the nasal formulation label.
Pregnancy: Teratogenic Effects: Pregnancy Category C - Corticosteroids have been shown to be teratogenic in laboratory animals when administered systemically at relatively low dosage levels. Some corticosteroids have been shown to be teratogenic after dermal application in laboratory animals. Teratology studies in the mouse demonstrated fluticasone propionate to be teratogenic (cleft palate) when administered subcutaneously in doses of 45 mcg/kg/day and 150 mcg/kg/day. This dose is approximately 14 and 45 times, respectively, the human topical dose of fluticasone propionate cream, 0.05%. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Fluticasone Propionate Cream, 0.05%, should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
Prescribing label, section “Pregnancy”: Fluticasone Propionate (topical), Bryant Ranch Prepack. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the topical formulation label.
Fluticasone inhalers while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can use your fluticasone inhaler as normal while breastfeeding.
The amount of fluticasone that reaches breast milk is not known, but it's probably tiny, and your baby will not absorb much of it from the milk. Side effects in your baby are very unlikely.
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 Fluticasone 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] See also Fluticasone, Topical.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Fluticasone, Inhaled” (LM120), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Fluticasone, Inhaled while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
Nursing Mothers - Systemically administered corticosteroids appear in human milk and could suppress growth, interfere with endogenous corticosteroid production, or cause other untoward effects. It is not known whether topical administration of corticosteroids could result in sufficient systemic absorption to produce detectable quantities in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Fluticasone Propionate Cream, 0.05% is administered to a nursing woman.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Fluticasone Propionate (topical), Bryant Ranch Prepack. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the topical formulation label.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Flixotide.
US name: fluticasone.
The NHS has separate pages for other forms: fluticasone nasal spray and drops.
Sources
- NHS, Fluticasone inhalers (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 10 February 2023. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Fluticasone (nasal), YYBA CORP, human otc drug, label effective 1 September 2026, set ID 535b2575-8af8-d951-e063-6394a90ac72d. DailyMed (National Library of Medicine). Public domain; quoted verbatim.
- US drug label: Fluticasone Propionate (topical), Bryant Ranch Prepack, human prescription drug, label effective 30 October 2025, set ID 0cd0b88c-1ab3-4699-8eda-554054b8d33c. 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 “Fluticasone, Inhaled” (LM120), 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.