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  Discussion on Is glucosamine supplement safe in pregnancy?
Author Message
Member:
lexi

Posted on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 - 6:31 am:

Hi - my mare is on a maintenance dose of glucosamine HCl (she has ringbone though is not lame) and is going to stud soon - is this safe to continue through pregnancy and lactation or would you advise I stop it for the duration?
Thanks
Member:
parker66

Posted on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 - 11:12 am:

If there is an adverse affect on pregnant mares, they usually have this listed on the instructions. I would say if it doesn't say anything that it certainly wouldn't have any adverse effect on the horse. I know some racehorses get in foal and continue to race for a couple of months so they most likely get supplements like this.
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 - 6:38 pm:

I believe Rodney that you are incorrect about these unregulated supplements. There probably has been no rigorous specific research to determine whether this specific supplement is safe in pregnant mares, and there is no requirement for the manufacturer to list any suspected adverse effects. There is broad variation in ingredients/purity etc. among "nutraceuticals" and even within different batches under the same label. Dr. O may have more specific input.

I try to follow the horsemen's adage: when in doubt, leave it out. If it were my mare, I'd leave it out until the foal was weaned (provided the mare remained open post-partum).
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Apr 18, 2008 - 7:12 am:

It is true that many over the counter herbal supplements have not been tested for safety during pregnancy and some thought to be dangerous: Devil's Claw, an analgesic, is one such product. Currently it is not known if glucosamine is safe and I can only find this one very limited study that did not find an adverse effect from its use during pregnancy:

J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2007 Apr;16(3):345-8.
Glucosamine use in pregnancy: an evaluation of pregnancy outcome.
Sivojelezova A, Koren G, Einarson A.
The Motherisk Program, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, The Hospital for Sick Children, The University of Toronto, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Glucosamine (GLS) is an endogenous aminomonosaccharide. It is used as a disease-modifying agent for the treatment of osteoarthritis. There is no information regarding its use in pregnancy. Our objective was to determine whether GLS treatment in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of major malformations or other adverse outcomes. METHODS: Pregnant women were recruited from The Motherisk Program at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. Women exposed to GLS were compared with women exposed to nonteratogenic agents. They were matched for gestational age at time of call, maternal age, and cigarette and alcohol consumption. Rates of major malformations and other end points of interest were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: We were able to ascertain the outcomes of 54 women who used GLS during pregnancy (34 during organogenesis). There were 50 live births (two sets of twins), 4 spontaneous abortions, 1 therapeutic abortion, and 1 stillbirth, with no major malformations. The mean birth weight was 3524 +/- 482 g, and the median gestational age at birth was 39 weeks (range 37-40). CONCLUSIONS: These limited data suggest no increased risk for major malformations or other adverse fetal effects following the use of GLS during pregnancy.
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