Can I take tadalafil while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about tadalafil.
In short
Pregnancy: If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you're advised to avoid tadalafil.
Breastfeeding: If you're breastfeeding or pregnant, you're advised to avoid tadalafil.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Let your doctor know if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you become pregnant while taking tadalafil.
Breastfeeding
- Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding or pregnant, or if you become pregnant while taking tadalafil.
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
Tadalafil in pregnancy
The NHS says
If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you're advised to avoid tadalafil.
Let your doctor know if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you become pregnant while taking tadalafil.
In our words, from the NHS page Tadalafil (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 B - Tadalafil is not indicated for use in women. There are no adequate and well controlled studies of tadalafil use in pregnant women. Risk Summary - Based on animal data, tadalafil is not predicted to increase the risk of adverse developmental abnormalities in humans.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Tadalafil (oral), A-S Medication Solutions. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Tadalafil while breastfeeding
The NHS says
If you're breastfeeding or pregnant, you're advised to avoid tadalafil.
Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding or pregnant, or if you become pregnant while taking tadalafil.
In our words, from the NHS page Tadalafil (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 published information is available on the use of tadalafil during breastfeeding or on macitentan, which is in the combination product Opsumit. An alternate agent may be preferred. The manufacturer recommends that breastfeeding be discontinued during Opsumit therapy. Tadalafil should be completely eliminated from milk in 4 days. Macitentan and its active metabolite should be completely eliminated from milk in 10 days.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Tadalafil” (tadalafil), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Tadalafil 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 Tadalafil is not indicated for use in women. Tadalafil and/or its metabolites were secreted into the milk in lactating rats at concentrations approximately 2.4-fold greater than found in the plasma.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Tadalafil (oral), A-S Medication Solutions. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Cialis, Cialis Together, Adcirca.
Sources
- NHS, Tadalafil (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 13 May 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Tadalafil (oral), A-S Medication Solutions, human prescription drug, label effective 9 September 2026, set ID 81222924-29d9-4031-954d-132923867b8e. 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 “Tadalafil” (tadalafil), 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.