Q: My wife has taken HMG injection to get pregnant. Now, she is pregnant and in the 2nd month. She had some bleeding for, which the doctor advised her to take Profassi 5000 i.u injections once a week for 12 weeks of her pregnancy and Duphaston 10 mg twice a day for 12 weeks. I want to know the side effects due to these hormones. Now, she is 11 weeks pregnant with no complaints of spotting or pain. The ultrasound too is normal. please answer in detail about the possible side effects on the baby and the mother. Also, she has dry cough can she take any allergy medicine or cough syrup?

A:HMG and HCG (Profasi) are completely safe in pregnancy and have no demonstrated side effects on the developing baby. Duphaston, a progestational agent, although widely used in India and in several countries, has occasionally been accused of an effect on baby's genitalia development but not convincingly. The pregnancy is, therefore, safe. There are several cough medications that are safe in pregnancy. These would best be prescribed after thoroughly examining the patient’s chest and paranasal sinuses. For this, please consult a family physician and inform him about the duration of pregnancy.