*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature L: Laxatives.

Pregnancy Breastfeeding And Fertility While Taking Atenolol

NHS medicines information on atenolol and whether you can take it while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Atenolol and pregnancy

It's important to treat high blood pressure during pregnancy. This will help you and your baby to stay healthy.

Although atenolol can be taken in pregnancy, it's more common to take labetalol (a similar medicine that works in the same way). This is because there is more safety information available for labetalol. Talk to your doctor about which blood pressure medicine is best for you.

Atenolol can affect the baby's growth in the womb, so you may be offered extra scans to check that your baby is growing OK.

There's also a small chance that atenolol can affect a baby's blood sugar levels just after birth. Because of this, your baby may have their blood sugar levels monitored in hospital for the first 24 hours to make sure everything's OK before you go home.

Atenolol and breastfeeding

If your doctor or health visitor says that your baby is healthy, it might be OK to take atenolol while breastfeeding.

Atenolol passes into breast milk in different amounts, and sometimes these have been quite high. If you're breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk to your doctor or pharmacist as other medicines might be better for you.

It's important to treat your high blood pressure to keep you well. Breastfeeding will also benefit both you and your baby.

If your baby's not feeding as well as usual, seems unusually sleepy, seems much paler than usual, or if you have any other concerns about your baby, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, midwife or health visitor.

Atenolol and fertility

There is no evidence to suggest that atenolol affects fertility in men or women.

Find out more about how atenolol can affect you and your baby during pregnancy on the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy (BUMPS) website.

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature L: Laxatives. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
Photos: LightFieldStudios and one of VladOrlov, Stockcube, darak77, ajr_images or rawpixel.com.