Is Hydrogen Peroxide safe during pregnancy?
Used in hair bleach, developer and teeth whitening. Hair bleaching as directed is considered OK; ask your dentist about whitening.
What the sources say
MotherToBaby lists hydrogen peroxide as the bleaching agent in hair products and says hair treatments used as directed are not expected to greatly increase birth defect risk. For teeth, a review found peroxide whitening safe when manufacturer directions are followed, but no pregnancy studies exist, so many people wait. LactMed notes peroxide whiteners are unlikely to be absorbed and hydrogen peroxide is normally found in breast milk. Limit: follow directions; ask your dentist before whitening.
Also listed as
h2o2, hair bleach developer
Sources
- MotherToBaby: Hair Treatments
- NIH PubMed (peer-reviewed review): Tooth whitening: what we now know (J Evid Based Dent Pract, 2014)
- NIH LactMed: Carbamide Peroxide - Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed)
Last reviewed . This is general information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor or midwife about your own situation.