[Medication and pregnancy counseling, an incomfortable role for the retail pharmacists].

Tragedies subsequent to use of medication at the beginning of pregnancy have given rise to extreme distrust, placing the retail pharmacist in an uncomfortable situation. A survey of pharmacists in France has revealed that pregnant women ask for more information than any other patients, particularly when it comes to continuing medication started before pregnancy. In such cases, 57% of the polled pharmacists recommended discontinuation of the medication. Ninety percent thought they were sufficiently informed and massively recommended a prudent attitude. Their wish was to have an independent high-performance information tool available. There is such a tool: the Teratogenic Agent Information Center, rarely used by pharmacists. With the support of such a structure, 80% would be eager to take on more responsibilities in counseling patients and preventing teratogenic risks, in relation with other healthcare workers, thus guaranteeing high-quality medication counseling.