Deferoxamine treatment during pregnancy: is it harmful?

The use of the iron chelator, Deferoxamine (DFO), in pregnant thalassemia women with iron overload has been generally avoided due to fear of its potential teratogenicity. We describe a case of a pregnant thalassemia major patient with iron overload, who received DFO throughout her second and third trimesters and gave birth to a healthy infant, who had no findings of DFO toxicity at birth and at a later follow-up. Review of the literature discloses over 40 other cases in which DFO was given in various periods of gestation without evidence of teratogenic effect. Sufficient documentation exists, therefore, to suggest that DFO can be considered for use in cases of pregnant women who need iron chelation treatment.