Can I take perindopril while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about perindopril.
In short
Pregnancy: Perindopril is not recommended for pregnant women.
Breastfeeding: Perindopril may be an option while breastfeeding, but speak to your doctor or pharmacist first.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- It can affect the baby's kidneys, especially if taken in the second and third trimesters, and this can lead to long-term kidney damage in your baby.
- Your doctor can usually prescribe another medicine that is safe in pregnancy.
- Stop perindopril by 12 weeks of pregnancy at the latest.
- While taking perindopril, use contraception and plan any pregnancy carefully with your doctor, a pregnancy specialist (obstetrician) or a hospital doctor.
- They will want to review your condition and your medicine before you become pregnant.
- Most women stop perindopril before becoming pregnant, but some may keep taking it until they get a positive pregnancy test, and stop then.
- Your doctor will talk with you about what's best, based on your condition and the risks and benefits of perindopril.
Breastfeeding
- If your baby was born prematurely, it's best not to take perindopril, but your doctor will help you decide.
- Information about perindopril and breastfeeding is limited, but it shows that only very small amounts get into breast milk, and this is unlikely to give your baby side effects.
- There is, however, a very small chance of it lowering your baby's blood pressure, so your doctor might suggest you take a different medicine.
- It's important to keep an eye on your baby whenever you take a medicine while breastfeeding.
When to get help
- If you're already pregnant, stop perindopril and speak to your doctor straight away.
- Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (NHS 111 in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is feeding less well than normal or not gaining weight as you'd expect, seems unusually sleepy, looks a lot paler than normal, is irritable, has diarrhoea or constipation or is vomiting (being sick), or has fewer wet nappies because they're peeing less.
- For symptoms not mentioned here, or if you're worried about your baby, you can also speak to any healthcare professional or call 111.
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
Perindopril in pregnancy
The NHS says
Perindopril is not recommended for pregnant women. It can affect the baby's kidneys, especially if taken in the second and third trimesters, and this can lead to long-term kidney damage in your baby.
If you're already pregnant, stop perindopril and speak to your doctor straight away. Your doctor can usually prescribe another medicine that is safe in pregnancy. Stop perindopril by 12 weeks of pregnancy at the latest.
While taking perindopril, use contraception and plan any pregnancy carefully with your doctor, a pregnancy specialist (obstetrician) or a hospital doctor. They will want to review your condition and your medicine before you become pregnant.
Most women stop perindopril before becoming pregnant, but some may keep taking it until they get a positive pregnancy test, and stop then. Your doctor will talk with you about what's best, based on your condition and the risks and benefits of perindopril.
In our words, from the NHS page Perindopril (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 Pregnancy Category D [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] . Use of drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin system during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy reduces fetal renal function and increases fetal and neonatal morbidity and death. Resulting oligohydramnios can be associated with fetal lung hypoplasia and skeletal deformations. Potential neonatal adverse effects include skull hypoplasia, anuria, hypotension, renal failure, and death. When pregnancy is detected, discontinue perindopril erbumine as soon as possible. These adverse outcomes are usually associated with use of these drugs in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Most epidemiologic studies examining fetal abnormalities after exposure to antihypertensive use in the first trimester have not distinguished drugs affecting the renin-angiotensin system from other antihypertensive agents. Appropriate management of maternal hypertension during pregnancy is important to optimize outcomes for both mother and fetus.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Perindopril Erbumine (oral), Aurobindo Pharma Limited. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Perindopril while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Perindopril may be an option while breastfeeding, but speak to your doctor or pharmacist first. If your baby was born prematurely, it's best not to take perindopril, but your doctor will help you decide.
Information about perindopril and breastfeeding is limited, but it shows that only very small amounts get into breast milk, and this is unlikely to give your baby side effects. There is, however, a very small chance of it lowering your baby's blood pressure, so your doctor might suggest you take a different medicine.
It's important to keep an eye on your baby whenever you take a medicine while breastfeeding.
Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (NHS 111 in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is feeding less well than normal or not gaining weight as you'd expect, seems unusually sleepy, looks a lot paler than normal, is irritable, has diarrhoea or constipation or is vomiting (being sick), or has fewer wet nappies because they're peeing less.
For symptoms not mentioned here, or if you're worried about your baby, you can also speak to any healthcare professional or call 111.
In our words, from the NHS page Perindopril (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
Limited information indicates that only low levels of perindopril and its active metabolite are found in breastmilk, which is consistent with other drugs in this class. Amounts ingested by the infant are small and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Perindopril” (LM211), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Perindopril while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
Nursing Mothers Milk of lactating rats contained radioactivity following administration of 14 C-perindopril. It is not known whether perindopril is secreted in human milk. Because many drugs are secreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when perindopril erbumine is given to nursing mothers.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Perindopril Erbumine (oral), Aurobindo Pharma Limited. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Sources
- NHS, Perindopril (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 7 January 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Perindopril Erbumine (oral), Aurobindo Pharma Limited, human prescription drug, label effective 13 March 2024, set ID 87768fbf-7c63-47da-8925-0316f343d6ef. 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 “Perindopril” (LM211), 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.