Hello. First, let me offer congratulations on your pregnancy!
The routine use of
folate (
Folinz) during pregnancy has been shown to reduce the risk for neural tube defects in babies. (Neural tube defects occur when a fetus' nervous system doesn't develop properly.) Ideally, folate should be started before women conceive, as the fetal nervous system is already developing before many women even realize they're pregnant.
Now, the use of hormones during pregnancy -- specifically beta-
HCG (Sifasi) -- is very controversial. About 20 years ago, some studies suggested that beta-HCG injections reduced the rate of
miscarriage during early pregnancy. Thus, it isn't unheard of for physicians to prescribe Sifasi and Dubagest to help maintain pregnancy -- especially in women who have a history of
spontaneous abortion (miscarriage). However, more recent studies demonstrate that using beta-HCG during pregnancy increases the risk for birth defects. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified beta-HCG as a Category X drug, meaning it should not be used during pregnancy.
Talk to your doctor about your concerns. He/she may have reasons for prescribing certain medications that he hasn't yet discussed with you.
I hope things go well for you!