Can I take macrogol while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about macrogol.
In short
Pregnancy: Macrogol can be taken in pregnancy.
Breastfeeding: Macrogol can be taken while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Breastfeeding
- Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are rare, but talk to a healthcare professional if anything 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
Macrogol in pregnancy
The NHS says
Macrogol can be taken in pregnancy.
In our words, from the NHS page Macrogol (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 Facts label says
If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.
Drug Facts label: leader clearlax (oral), Cardinal Health 110, LLC. dba Leader. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
More on macrogol in pregnancy: Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) leaflet (external site).
Macrogol while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Macrogol can be taken while breastfeeding.
Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are rare, but talk to a healthcare professional if anything about your baby worries you.
In our words, from the NHS page Macrogol (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
Polyethylene glycol is very poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, so it does not enter breastmilk.[1] No special precautions are required and it may be the laxative of choice during breastfeeding.[2,3]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Polyethylene Glycol” (LM1458), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Polyethylene Glycol while breastfeeding.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Movicol, Laxido, CosmoCol.
US name: polyethylene glycol 3350.
Sources
- NHS, Macrogol (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 13 May 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: leader clearlax (oral), Cardinal Health 110, LLC. dba Leader, human otc drug, label effective 22 September 2026, set ID 812c59b0-e7ce-4c7a-91ed-e74b7b1b84be. 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 “Polyethylene Glycol” (LM1458), 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.
- Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy), UK Teratology Information Service: Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) leaflet. Linked, not reproduced.
Sources checked 26 September 2026. How we source and check every page.
Educational summary of named sources, not medical advice.