A recent cohort study involving 71,604 pregnancies revealed that first-trimester exposure to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for urinary tract infections significantly increases the risk of congenital malformations compared to β-lactam antibiotics. Conducted using data from the Merative MarketScan Database from 2006 to 2022, the findings indicated that TMP-SMX is associated with a 35% higher relative risk of malformations, including severe cardiac issues and cleft lip and palate, emphasizing the need for careful antibiotic prescribing in early pregnancy.

Source: JAMA Network Open