Can I take latanoprost while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about latanoprost.
In short
Pregnancy: You can use latanoprost eye drops in pregnancy.
Breastfeeding: You can use latanoprost while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- When the drops go into your eye, very little reaches your blood, so they are not thought to be harmful.
- Treating raised pressure in the eye (glaucoma) is essential, so you should carry on with treatment during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding
- Treating raised pressure in the eye is important, so you should carry on with treatment while breastfeeding.
- Latanoprost eye drops are not thought to get into breast milk or to cause side effects in babies.
When to get help
- 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 midwife, health visitor or doctor promptly.
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
Latanoprost in pregnancy
The NHS says
You can use latanoprost eye drops in pregnancy. When the drops go into your eye, very little reaches your blood, so they are not thought to be harmful.
Treating raised pressure in the eye (glaucoma) is essential, so you should carry on with treatment during pregnancy.
In our words, from the NHS page Latanoprost (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 Teratogenic Effects: Pregnancy Category C. Reproduction studies have been performed in rats and rabbits. In rabbits, an incidence of 4 of 16 dams had no viable fetuses at a dose that was approximately 80 times the maximum human dose, and the highest nonembryocidal dose in rabbits was approximately 15 times the maximum human dose. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Latanoprost should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy”: Latanoprost (ophthalmic), Proficient Rx LP. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the ophthalmic formulation label.
Latanoprost while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can use latanoprost while breastfeeding. Treating raised pressure in the eye is important, so you should carry on with treatment while breastfeeding.
Latanoprost eye drops are not thought to get into breast milk or to cause side effects in babies. 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 midwife, health visitor or doctor promptly.
In our words, from the NHS page Latanoprost (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
No information is available on the use of latanoprost during breastfeeding. Because of its short half-life it is not likely to reach the bloodstream of the infant or cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. Professional guidelines consider prostaglandin eye drops acceptable during breastfeeding.[1-3] To substantially diminish the amount of drug that reaches the breastmilk after using eye drops, place pressure over the tear duct by the corner of the eye for 1 minute or more, then remove the excess solution with an absorbent tissue.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Latanoprost” (LM772), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Latanoprost while breastfeeding.
What these words mean
- metabolite
- a substance made when the body breaks down a medicine
Definitions adapted from the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute).
The US prescribing label says
Nursing Mothers It is not known whether this drug or its metabolites are excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when latanoprost is administered to a nursing woman.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Latanoprost (ophthalmic), Proficient Rx LP. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the ophthalmic formulation label.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Xalatan, Monopost.
Sources
- NHS, Latanoprost (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 20 February 2023. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Latanoprost (ophthalmic), Proficient Rx LP, human prescription drug, label effective 1 October 2024, set ID bfd773ed-c461-4732-b1ba-0c240f3fdae0. 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 “Latanoprost” (LM772), 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.